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 >>
Lawyers have expressed concerns that changes to the Government’s proposed Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2017 (‘the Bill’) do not go far enough and that the Bill continues to exceed its stated aims of supporting both real and perceived integrity and fairness of elections by preventing undue influence in the democratic … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has joined the “Make Renting Fair” campaign in NSW with 90 other organisations urging the NSW Parliament to vote in favour of the Residential Tenancies Act (Review) Bill 2018, but with crucial amendments to make renting fair by removing unfair evictions. ALHR NSW Convenor Sarah Schwartz said, “We strongly … Read More >>
Leading human rights lawyers have expressed alarm at recent reports about leaked content of the Ruddock review into religious protections commissioned after last year’s postal vote on marriage equality. Instead of singling out the right to religious freedom, they are calling on the Morrison Government to introduce a national Human Rights Act to protect human … Read More >>
ALHR has made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters Inquiry into the revisions to the proposed Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2017 (‘the Bill’) which substantially amend the original version following the Committee’s Advisory Report of April 2018. ALHR noted that the time frame for considering the revised Bill has … Read More >>
ALHR made a submission to the Health, Communities, Disabilities Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee Inquiry into the Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018 QLD. It is ALHR’s view that criminal provisions relating to termination of pregnancy should be repealed and that, in order for Australia to comply with its international human rights law obligations,, termination … Read More >>
Leading human rights law experts have warned the Minister for Home Affairs that the Government’s Bill to provide law enforcement and security agencies with new powers to access every Australian’s communications data has significant privacy implications. The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 (The Bill) seeks to respond to the … Read More >>
Australian lawyers for Human Rights has made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee regarding our serious concerns with the Migration (Validation of Port Appointment) Bill 2018. On 3 September 2018, ALHR President, Kerry West appeared before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to give evidence about ALHR’s submission. ALHR believes that the Bill … Read More >>
Australia’s leading association of human rights lawyers has welcomed the Government’s recent announcement of a Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, but is calling on the Government to go one step further and launch the long overdue Royal Commission into abuse, violence and neglect in the disability care sector. ALHR President Kerry Weste … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has expressed support for a call by members of the Wangan and Jagalingou (‘W&J’) People for the Government to rule out any action which would extinguish native title, following the dismissal of a challenge by the Federal Court last month. On 17 August 2018, the Federal Court dismissed a … Read More >>
Leading human rights lawyers are dismayed by the manner in which our new Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has chosen to approach the rights of LGBTI children in Australian schools. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has written to the Prime Minister condemning his recent negative public statements about programs designed to ensure that children who … Read More >>
