ALHR

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) commends the passing of the federal Modern Slavery Act 2018. This important human rights legislation represents a first step towards eradicating modern slavery in the operations and supply chains of large Australian companies. The Walk Free Foundation and the International Labour Organisation estimate that last year around 40.3 million … Read More >>

Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers is calling on the Australian Government to urgently commit to ensuring a safety and a viable future for every person transferred from Australia to Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has welcomed the Migration Amendment (Urgent Medical Treatment) Bill 2018 introduced today, which … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) commends the recommendations made by the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs inquiry into legislative exemptions that allow faith-based educational institutions to discriminate against students, teachers and staff. The matter was referred to the Committee on 13 November 2018, following leaks of the Religious Freedoms Review, known … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights is alarmed that the NSW Government has rushed through laws which expand the powers of family and community services to permanently remove children from their families. ALHR fears the amendments to the The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 and the Adoption Act 2000, risk creating another … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is disappointed by the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday that Australia will not adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The Global Compact seeks to foster international cooperation in relation to the benefits and challenges of migration. It reiterates existing international human rights obligations, while preserving a … Read More >>

Campaign to highlight the rights of persons with disabilities in Australia shines a spotlight on segregation and limited inclusion in Australian schools. According to a paper published today, Australia continues to fail children with disabilities at school at a disturbing rate with little to no improvement. In recent years, there has been an alarming number … Read More >>

In response to reports that the Australian government will move to bring children from Nauru to Australia before the end of the year, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) says more needs to be done. ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “Australia remains legally responsible for every person it sent to Nauru and Papua New Guinea, … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights is deeply concerned by the NSW Government’s proposed amendments to the The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Amendment Bill 2018 and the Adoption Act 2000. ALHR fears the measures tabled in parliament last week risk creating another stolen generation in NSW and could result in more children permanently … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) congratulates the Queensland Government for introducing a Human Rights Bill. The Bill, which was tabled in Parliament by the Attorney-General today, protects a broad range of fundamental human rights and holds public entities responsible for protecting those rights when making decisions that impact on the rights of all Queenslanders. … Read More >>

On Friday 26 October in Sydney, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) and the National Justice Project (NJP) are coming together to host Tony McAvoy SC, Larissa Behrendt, Michael Lavarch AO and Julian Burnside AO QC at a dinner in support of their organisations’ work to protect and promote human rights in Australia. The evening’s … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the recently established Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC in the United Kingdom. The Tribunal will investigate forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience and consider the evidence to determine what criminal offences have been committed … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) congratulates the Palaszczuk Government and Queensland parliament on yesterday’s passage of legislation to decriminalise abortion, and establish safe access zones around termination clinics. NSW is now the only jurisdiction in Australia where abortion remains a crime and, ALHR says, it must now act to address this anomaly. ALHR President … Read More >>