Canstockphoto23119468-1600x476
Canstockphoto16654729-1600x476
Canstockphoto26998849-1600x476

Australia slammed for refusal to support call for ‘access to safe abortion’ at United Nations

posted on March 13, 2019

The Morrison Government is facing heavy criticism over Australia’s refusal to sign an International Women’s Day statement at the United Nations, which called for safe access to abortion and improved sexual health education. A total of 57 states signed on to the statement which called for accountability for human rights violations perpetrated against women and … Read More >>

Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme: ALHR Position Paper

posted on March 8, 2019

ALHR has published a position paper on the Federal Government’s Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. ALHR is concerned that there are widespread misunderstandings about the nature of the legislation, in particular internal inconsistencies in the amended legislation as ultimately enacted, and in the fact sheets issued for the guidance of the public by Attorney-General’s Department. In … Read More >>

Leading Australian Human Rights Lawyers welcome a new era of human rights protection in Queensland

posted on March 7, 2019

Leading Australian human rights lawyers congratulate the Queensland Government for passing the Human Rights Bill.  The Act will protect a broad range of human rights, including fundamental civil and political rights, the economic, social and cultural rights to education and health services and the cultural rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  It establishes … Read More >>

Medical practitioners are best placed to make decisions about the medical treatment a person needs

posted on February 8, 2019

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) repeats its call on the Australian Government to urgently commit to ensuring a safe and a viable future for every person transferred from Australia to Nauru and Papua New Guinea in line with Australia’s international human rights obligations. “Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent comments about the Migration Amendment (Urgent … Read More >>

Human rights lawyers congratulate Behrouz Boochani on winning Victorian Prize for Literature and call for all people transferred to Manus Island and Nauru to be brought to safety

posted on February 4, 2019

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) congratulates Behrouz Boochani, whose book, No Friend But the Mountains: Writings from Manus Prison, was awarded both the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for non-fiction last week and renews its call on the Australian Government to urgently commit to ensuring a safe and viable … Read More >>

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

posted on January 24, 2019

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. On 24 January … Read More >>

ALHR 2018 Human Rights Report

posted on January 12, 2019

MEDIA RELEASE The 2018 Human Rights Report Card from Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has found Australia continues to significantly lag in key areas such as Indigenous rights, children’s rights, disability rights, freedoms and LGBTI rights. Further, many states and territories continued to perform poorly in their approach to human rights. ALHR President, Kerry … Read More >>

Abuse survivors now able to sue unincorporated entities, including churches, directly

posted on January 9, 2019

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has congratulated the NSW Government on changes to implement recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sex Abuse and address an anomaly which previously prevented child abuse victims from suing unincorporated entities such as churches. Known as the “Ellis defence”, this defence was essentially based on the argument … Read More >>

Human rights lawyers make New Year call for immediate removal of religious exemptions in discrimination laws

posted on January 8, 2019

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has made a New Year call on the Australian Prime Minister to give immediate effect to his 2018 promise to remove religious exemptions to discrimination laws affecting LGBT students and teachers in Australian schools. ALHR says  that the Morrison Government’s proposed amendments to the ALP’s Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing … Read More >>