Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes budget measures announced in the 2023-24 Federal Budget which promise modest advancement of the rights of people with disabilities in Australia. Natalie Wade, Chair of Disability Rights at ALHR said,“While the 2023-24 Budget has made clear the next steps for the financial sustainability of the NDIS, that is … Read More >>
A decade ago today, the United Nations celebrated the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR). In a letter to the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC MP and Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong, Human Rights experts have called on Australia to mark this anniversary by … Read More >>
ALHR has today written the the Commonwealth Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC MP and the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney MP, to express our profound concern at the human rights impacts of a funding crisis that is leading to service freezes at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS) across the country. ATSILS are facing … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) joins with Transgender Victoria, the Victorian Pride Lobby, LGBTIQ Legal Service and other key LGBTIQ and ally organisations led by Southside Justice in calling for action from the Victorian Government following the anti-trans protests in Melbourne on 18 March 2023. In a joint letter the group has acknowledged and … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) commends the 28 UN member states from 4 continents who have called on states to develop laws and policies that allow self-recognition of gender identity based on self-determination. Australia joined with Argentina, who delivered a statement on behalf of the group of states to reaffirm that human rights derive … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes ground-breaking legislation developed by the ACT Government that will provide protection for Canberrans with innate variations of sex characteristics. ALHR LGBTI Rights Co-chair, Georgia Burke said, “ALHR commends intersex advocates and allies who have pressed for these Australia first human rights reforms. The measures will protect intersex children … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) commends the Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC on the establishment of a Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights Inquiry to investigate Australia’s human rights framework, with a focus on whether the Federal Government should introduce a Federal Human Rights Act. The announcement comes soon after the launch of an … Read More >>
A group of more than 100 organisations and experts have signed an OPEN LETTER calling for urgent reform of Australia’s migration health laws to remove their discriminatory impact on people with disabilities and health conditions. The letter is part of the Welcoming Disability Campaign led by Down Syndrome Australia and Australian Lawyers for Human Rights. … Read More >>
In January 2023 ALHR submitted a Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women regarding aspects of Australia’s compliance with the the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Since the last reporting cycle, Australia has taken a number of positive steps to … Read More >>
ALHR is seeking expressions of interest from lawyers or law students nearing completion of their studies to Co-Convene our state and territory activities. The successful applicants will be lawyers or law students with a knowledge of and passion for international human rights law. ALHR convenors are supported and guided by ALHR’s National Committee and Executive … Read More >>
Leading human rights experts have warned that National’s Senator Matthew Canavan’s Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022 (the Bill) risks a dangerous politicisation of healthcare in Australia by replicating the rhetoric of the US anti-abortion movement and undermining long-settled international human rights standards. The Bill, which is currently the subject of a Senate … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the launch of an Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Free & Equal Position Paper proposing a model for a Federal Human Rights Act. The AHRC’s proposals seek to create legal protections for the human rights of all people in Australia, and provide ways to seek justice if people’s … Read More >>
