President Trump’s anti-Muslim immigration ban executive order has had global impact and has shaken awake the democratic world

posted on January 30, 2017

President Trump’s anti-Muslim immigration ban executive order has had global impact and has shaken awake the democratic world. The executive order may impact Australians’ friends and families. It is the most extreme form of discrimination, injustice, and unfairness and unsurprisingly it is unconstitutional. Many Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have been detained at US immigration … Read More >>

Lawyers Slam President Trump’s ‘Absolute’ Support of Torture & Call on Foreign Minister Bishop to Follow Suit

posted on January 29, 2017

Picture Credit: American Civil Liberties Union  Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has slammed President Trump’s erroneous and eerie assertion that torture “absolutely…works”. In his first television interview since inauguration, President Trump suggested that Americans should engage in medieval torture because Isis was doing it and “we have to fight fire with fire”. ALHR takes … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights supports the Day of the Endangered Lawyer

posted on January 24, 2017

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) calls on all countries to ensure that lawyers are able to perform their professional obligations without fear of retribution. ALHR has always been saddened by news of lawyers facing consequences such as being silenced, harassed, kidnapped, imprisoned, injured and killed for fulfilling their roles as advocates. 24 January 2017, … Read More >>

ALHR slams unethical behaviour of Centrelink as abuse of legal process

posted on January 6, 2017

MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release – 4 January 2017  The current attacks upon past and present pension payment recipients by Centrelink and the Minister for Social Services are “wrong at so many legal levels that it’s hard to know where to begin,”, ALHR President Benedict Coyne said. “At the most basic level, no entity should … Read More >>

Woefully inadequate in protecting basic universal standards of human rights’: National report card released on Australia’s human rights performance for 2016

posted on December 30, 2016

ALHR has issued National Report Cards on Australia’s human rights performance for 2016 for all State and Territory Governments as well as for the Federal Government. Over the next two weeks ALHR will issue further subject specific federal report cards on each of ALHR’s areas of strategic focus for 2016. Read on below for a summary … Read More >>

Coroners findings into death of Ms Dhu deeply disturbing

posted on December 16, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is deeply concerned by the shocking Coroner’s findings, released today, regarding the death in custody of a 22 year old Yamatji woman in August 2014. Ms Dhu had been detained in the South Hedland lockup for unpaid fines. ALHR strongly supports WA State Coroner Ros Fogliani’s key recommendations and … Read More >>

Human rights lawyers applaud South Australian Parliament’s steps to protect LGBTI rights

posted on December 7, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) congratulates the South Australian Parliament for enacting four important pieces of legislation that will protect the rights of LGBTI South Australians. Today, in the last sitting week of parliament, the Legislative Council passed the following bills into law: – The Statutes Amendment (Surrogacy Eligibility) Bill 2016 – The Adoption … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights welcome expungement of Queensland homosexual convictions

posted on December 4, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is pleased to see Queensland follow New South Wales and Victoria to expunge convictions for homosexuality. In an important step to rectify a history of discrimination, Queensland’s Attorney-General Yvette D’Arth has introduced the draft bill to Parliament. This will affect hundreds of men convicted under Queensland law for consensual … Read More >>

Andrews Government subjecting children to appalling conditions in maximum security adult prisons

posted on November 29, 2016

Gravillea section of Barwon prison. Photo: Angela Wylie Andrews Government subjecting children to appalling conditions in maximum security adult prisons Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is deeply concerned for the wellbeing of the children recently transferred to Barwon maximum security adult prison following allegations they have already been subjected to inappropriate treatment and conditions. ALHR … Read More >>

Federal Government Must Protect Australians from Racial Vilification

posted on November 23, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) believes that all human rights should be protected in Australia at the federal level through the adoption of an Australian Bill of Rights. But until that until that day comes, it is essential for us to support and strengthen the reasonable protections from racial vilification contained in sections 18C … Read More >>

Human Rights Lawyers write to Victorian Premier and condemn transfer of children to adult jails: Victoria now lone wolf in archaic abuse of children in adult prisons

posted on November 16, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has condemned Premier Daniel Andrews’ decision to send 40 children to adult jails in Victoria, stating there are no circumstances that justify the placement of children in the adult prison system. We have today written to Premier Andrews urging his government to reconsider this flagrant breach of the Convention … Read More >>

Conduct of Coronial Inquiries into Deaths in Custody Must Change: ALHR, Watch Committee

posted on November 12, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) strongly supports recommendations submitted by the First Nations Deaths in Custody Watch Committee of Western Australia (Watch Committee) to the 2016 Asia Pacific Coroners’ Society Conference on Friday. David Woodrofe, Co-Chair of ALHR’s Indigenous Rights Subcommittee said, “The Watch Committee has called on State and Territory governments to take … Read More >>