15 December 2025 Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is heartbroken and horrified by yesterday’s terror attack at Bondi Beach while Jewish Australians gathered to peacefully celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Our hearts go out to the victims and their grieving families and loved ones who are enduring unimaginable loss in the most horrific … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes recommendations released on Saturday following the NSW Government’s Review of the operation of doli incapax in NSW for children under 14. Doli incapax is a common law presumption that a child under the age of 14 years lacks the capacity to be criminally responsible for their acts. Despite … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has led an open statement signed by more than 117 organisations and experts calling on the NSW Parliament to establish an inquiry into a Human Rights Act. Together with the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, ALHR co-convenes the Human Rights Act for NSW Alliance (HRA4NSW) – a group of more … Read More >>
A group of 117 organisations and individuals have endorsed an open statement calling on all NSW Parliamentarians to support the establishment of a public inquiry into a Human Rights Act for New South Wales. On Thursday 23 October 2025, the Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP, will introduce a private member’s Human Rights Bill. Human … Read More >>
New data released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) reveals a 34% increase in the number of young people in custody since June 2023. First Nations children now account for 60% of children in detention, despite making up just 8% of young people in NSW. This marks an alarming 36% increase … Read More >>
Australia Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) condemns the Northern Territory Government’s announcement this week that it is reinstating the use of spit hoods in youth detention, eight years after the practice was banned. This decision undermines Australia’s international obligations under core United Nations human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child … Read More >>
The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed a landmark case brought by two Torres Strait community leaders. Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai argued the Australian Government had a duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change, and that the government had breached that duty. In the wake of this decision, ALHR’s … Read More >>
In an Australian first, an ACT Government Parliamentary Committee has recommended that the human right to adequate housing be recognised in ACT law and protected within the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT). The ACT Legislative Standing Committee on Legal Affairs has released its final report following an Inquiry into the landmark Human Rights (Housing) Amendment … Read More >>
ALHR Welcomes ACT’s nation-leading reforms that raise the minimum age of of criminal responsibility to 14. This significant step means that young children in the ACT will be supported with the services they need, rather than being criminalised and imprisoned. This reform reflects UN recommendations to Australia, a wealth of medical evidence and expert advice, and … Read More >>
. JOINT MEDIA RELEASE: 1 May 2025 This Saturday, most adult Australians will vote in the Federal Election. However, there is a whole section of our community who can be removed from the electoral roll and disallowed from having their say: people with “cognitive disabilities.” In an open letter* to the Prime Minister and … Read More >>
MEDIA RELEASE: 29 April 2025 A coalition of leading advocacy organisations has welcomed the SA Parliament’s Social Development Committee’s tabling of its report calling for the enactment of a Human Rights Act for South Australia. This legislation would secure basic rights and freedoms for all South Australians regardless of their background or belief, based on … Read More >>
Today, 28 February, is international Rare Disease Day – a day dedicated to recognising the struggle for equity in social opportunities, healthcare, and access to diagnosis and therapies for people living with a rare disease. ALHR calls on Federal, state and territory governments to ensure that their budgets and policies reflect Australia’s international legal obligations to … Read More >>
