In the wake of images of a teenage prisoner being punished with a spit mask over his head at a Brisbane Jail, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is calling on the Queensland Government to urgently increase the age of a child under the Juvenile Justice Act 1992 from 17 years to 18 years old … Read More >>
Chorus of opposition to racial discrimination changes grows Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is deeply concerned by the renewed attack on important human rights protections with proposed amendments to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination introduced into the Senate via a private member’s bill. Dr. Tamsin Clarke, Chair of ALHR’s Freedoms Subcommittee said: “when … Read More >>
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has reported on the growing momentum in Australia for a National Action Plan and points to the high level of support for the Joint Civil Society Statement released by the Australian Human Rights Commission earlier this month. ALHR was one of many organisations who formally endorsed the Statement. … Read More >>
Lawyers Weekly reports on ALHR’s participation in a coalition of civil society groups calling on the government to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Australia. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, require businesses to respect human rights and governments … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has expressed its strong support for the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW. Benedict Coyne, ALHR President said, “Failure to provide safe, legal and accessible abortion services is a violation of fundamental human rights. ALHR supports the decriminalisation of abortion and the creation of exclusion zones surrounding abortion clinics as … Read More >>
Image Credit: nationalunitygovernment.org Protesters in central Geraldton behind a row of crosses representing deaths in custody. NSW has recorded its first Indigenous death in police cell custody for 16 years. On 19 July 2016, Ms. Rebecca Maher, a 36-year-old Wiradjuri woman and mother of four, was detained for apparent intoxication and placed in a holding cell at … Read More >>
ALHR’s BHR Sub-Committee has had a busy first year. Amy Sinclair and the BHR team have participated in the OHCHR’s Corporate Accountability and Remedy Project and maintained concerted advocacy efforts calling for a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. Read our attached report for further details of the BHR Sub-Committee’s activities.
Chair of ALHR’s Business and Human Rights Sub-Committee, Amy Sinclair, writing in the Guardian on the need for government action to implement the UN Guiding Principles in Australia. Read the Guardian article here.
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) has expressed its strong support for the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW. Benedict Coyne, ALHR President said, “Failure to provide safe, legal and accessible abortion services is a violation of fundamental human rights. ALHR supports the decriminalisation of abortion and the creation of exclusion zones surrounding abortion clinics as … Read More >>
A coalition of leading civil society groups, including Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), has released a Joint Statement recommending actions for the Australian Government to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles were unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 and represent the global … Read More >>
Photo credit: Nauru regional processing facility. © DIAC images – / Wikipedia ALHR statement re Nauru reports released by the Guardian Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is deeply concerned by reports released today by The Guardian that reveal the extent of trauma and abuse – including assaults, sexual abuse, child abuse and attempted self-harm – … Read More >>
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is currently seeking a new Chair/s for our LGBTI subcommittee. Established last year, the subcommittee has made submissions on adoption rights and the expungement of historical convictions and put out media releases on a variety of topics. Given the continuing discrimination faced by LBGTI community members in their day-to-day … Read More >>
