ALHR

ALHR has joined with 46 organisations in an open letter led by  People With Disability Australia (PWDA) calling on the Commonwealth Attorney-General to rewrite Australia’s disability discrimination laws. ALHR Vice President and Chair of Disability Rights, Natalie Wade, is spokeswoman: “A frustrated alliance of lawyers and community organisations has lobbied the Commonwealth Attorney-General to rewrite Australia’s … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the Federal Government’s recent Joint statement with New Zealand on Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang, particularly its call on China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for United Nations experts, and other independent observers. Madeleine Bridgett, Co-Chair of ALHR’s Business and Human Rights Subcommittee said, “There … Read More >>

Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers has published a briefing paper examining the Morrison Government’s moves to ban Australians from returning home. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) President Kerry Weste says, “The issue exposes a gaping void in Australian human rights protections – the absence of a Federal Human Rights Act.” “The travel … Read More >>

Today, ALHR joins 74 Western Australian organisations in calling for WA to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) to 14 years. More than 70 NGOs and ACCOs in WA collectively endorsed the new report released by coalition Social Reinvestment WA, ‘A Pathway to a Brighter Future for Western Australia’s most at risk children’. … Read More >>

Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers is urging the Victorian Premier and Attorney General to adopt the recommendations of the Victorian Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee’s inquiry into the adequacy of the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 (Vic). The Committee’s report, tabled in March, found the Act failed in its twin purposes … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has criticised the final report from the Joint Select Committee on the One Nation Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 (the Bill).  ALHR LGBTI CoChair Georgia Burke said, “The report’s findings fail to reflect the considerable evidence provided at the Committee’s hearings. ALHR is shocked by reports … Read More >>

Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers has expressed profound concern at serious abuses of power by members of NSW Police Strike Force Raptor detailed in a Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) report which was made public late on Friday.  Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) President Kerry Weste said, “The ability of lawyers to … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has called on the NSW Parliament to adopt all recommendations of the Standing Committee on Social Issues’ report on gay and transgender hate crimes. ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “The Final Report on gay and transgender hate crimes between 1970 and 2010 marks an important but sad point in the … Read More >>

Leading human rights lawyers have applauded yesterday’s passage of Tasmania’s End-of-Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Bill 2020.  ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “We congratulate the Tasmanian parliament on this important legislation that provides terminally-ill Tasmanians who meet the relevant criteria with the autonomy to make informed decisions about their medical treatment and the timing and … Read More >>

Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers has criticised NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller’s, suggestion that the creation of a phone app to record sexual consent could provide a solution to the growing issue of sexual assault. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is concerned that the app proposal fundamentally misunderstands the nature of consent … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the Federal Government’s decision to release a number of refugees from immigration detention who were previously transferred from offshore processing to Australia for vital medical treatment.  Caitlin Caldwell, Co-Chair of ALHR’s Refugee Rights Subcommittee said, “ALHR calls on the Federal Government to urgently release all medically-evacuated refugees who … Read More >>

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has condemned plans to commence construction of a go-kart track at Wahluu (Mount Panorama) that will destroy a sacred Wiradyuri Women’s  ceremonial  area. Ironically, the destruction of Wahluu will begin on International Women’s Day – a day on which the global community comes together to celebrate and recall the … Read More >>