Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) calls on all countries, including Australia, to ensure that lawyers are able to perform their professional obligations without fear of retribution. On 24 January 2021, the 11th Day of the Endangered Lawyer, lawyers across the world are given a specific opportunity to reflect on the grave infringement of human … Read More >>
On Friday 22 January 2021 the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) comes into force, establishing a comprehensive set of international legal prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities. It does so without the support of Australia’s Federal Government. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) President Kerry Weste explains, “The … Read More >>
Australia was integral to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Now we are the only Western Democracy without a Federal Charter of Human Rights. Today is Human Rights Day and 72 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document which underpins all international human rights law and inspires us … Read More >>
Today, over 20 Afghan, Australian and international human rights and legal organisations, including ALHR, wrote to the Assistant Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, Major General Justice Paul Brereton, urging him to commit to releasing the report of the Inquiry into allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has joined 89 organisations in a joint statement and new website opposing One Nation’s Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 (the Bill) and supporting laws in NSW that protect everyone equally. In August, ALHR made a detailed submission to the NSW Joint Select Committee condemning the proposed … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) celebrates Wear it Purple 2020, a day where schools and workplaces are encouraged to wear purple as a symbol of fostering supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for LGBTIQA+ young people. ALHR LGBT Rights Co-chair Georgia Burke said, “Studies of LGBTIQA+ students have shown that these young people represent … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has made a submission to the NSW Joint Select Committee on Mark Latham’s Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 (the Bill), condemning the proposed reforms as inconsistent with Australia’s international human rights law obligations. ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “This is a deeply flawed Bill that, if … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has joined calls for urgent action by the NSW and ACT Governments to address the crisis of Indigenous overrepresentation in their criminal justice systems. With recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showing that Indigenous people in NSW are imprisoned at a rate of more than 10 … Read More >>
Human rights lawyers have welcomed the passage of a West Australian bill to end the controversial imprisonment of residents with unpaid fines. In 2014, when Yamatji woman, Ms Dhu, died in custody while serving a sentence for defaulting on her fines, this archaic practice was cast into the national spotlight. The change is long overdue … Read More >>
The recent destruction of the significant Juukan Gorge rockshelters just days prior to National Reconciliation Week by Rio Tinto highlights the need to expediate essential reform to Western Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. The rockshelters destroyed by the actions of Rio Tinto during Reconciliation Week were of significant cultural and spiritual importance to the Puutu … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the Federal Government’s long overdue commitment to reverse the harm caused by its illegal ‘Robodebt’ system, noting the system has destroyed lives. ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “Since the scheme was introduced in mid-2016, advocates have been consistently alerting the responsible Ministers, including the treasurer at the time, … Read More >>
26 May 2020 marks the third anniversary of the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart inviting all Australians to walk with First Nations peoples in a movement for a better future. Ahead of the anniversary and National Reconciliation Week commencing on 27 May 2020, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) reiterates its support of the … Read More >>
