Leading human rights lawyers have expressed alarm at the continued forced sterilisation of women and girls with disabilities in Australia. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) says concerns raised this week by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its report on Australia should shock governments into action. Susan Peukert, Chair … Read More >>
ALHR has made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in response to the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Bill 2018. ALHR welcomes the introduction of the Bill into Parliament. It is an important legislative step in requiring businesses to take responsibility for human rights by engaging in a ‘race to the top’ to … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has welcomed recommendations released by the Palaszczuk Government this week in the Queensland Law Reform Commission (QLRC) report on the review of termination of pregnancy laws in Queensland. ALHR President Kerry Weste said, “ALHR strongly supports the recommendations of the QLRC to reform pregnancy termination laws in Queensland, decriminalise … Read More >>
IMAGE: Peter Boyle, Facebook To mark NAIDOC Week, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) acknowledges, recognises and celebrates the role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play in the community, not only in the past but also in the future, at a local, state and national level. Jo Byrne, Co-Chair of ALHR’s Indigenous Rights … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is calling for the immediate scrapping of the Australian government’s current offshore processing policy, on its shameful fifth anniversary on July 19. The policy has seen the forcible detention of people seeking asylum in Australia in detention facilities in Papua New Guinea and Nauru with many of these asylum … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has called for the immediate closure of “Real Bodies – The Exhibition” currently showing at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney until October 2018. The Exhibition features human corpses and human organs from unclaimed bodies in China. ALHR, doctors and other civil society groups have expressed ethical, legal and … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the introduction of the Modern Slavery Bill into Parliament. The Bill requires certain large business entities with a consolidated revenue of $100m or more per year to report annually on the steps they have taken to identify and prevent risks of modern slavery in their supply chains. Around … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is seeking expressions of interest from experienced lawyers to Co-Chair our National Women and Girls’ Rights Subcommittee. There are still many areas in Australian society in which women and girls experience unequal treatment and violations of their internationally recognised human rights. As such this area is a critical focus … Read More >>
Photo credit: Painting by Elizabeth Holland Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has acknowledged the positive step taken by the Victorian Government in passing the Aboriginal Victorians Bill. Jo Byrne, Co-Chair of ALHR’s Indigenous Rights Subcommittee says, “The Bill allows for the creation of an Indigenous representative body to be elected by Indigenous Victorians which … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has expressed disappointment in the passing through the House of Representatives of the National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Bill 2017 and the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Bill 2017 – particularly because the latter as amended now provides a blanket exemption for sitting federal politicians and holders … Read More >>
Last week the NSW Parliament passed the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW), ahead of similar legislation expected to be introduced to Commonwealth Parliament this week. ALHR strongly supports the introduction of a comprehensive suite of new national laws to combat the issue of modern slavery. The Walk Free Foundation estimates there are 45.8 million slaves … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is deeply concerned by the Australian Government’s ruthless decision to abolish the social safety net for thousands of people seeking asylum in Australia. The Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) provides a basic living allowance of around $247 per week for people seeking protection in Australia, who would otherwise have … Read More >>
