Submission to Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Act 2021 review
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is reviewing the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) laws, which gave the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) unprecedented and invasive powers to monitor online activity, access data, and take over a person’s online account.
The Human Rights Law Centre is calling for stronger safeguards for the right to privacy and warned that these powers enable the AFP and ACIC to undertake significant invasions of privacy, encroach on the right to privacy, and threaten to have a chilling effect on the work of journalists and their sources.
Our submission recommends:
-
the establishment of an independent advocate, a public interest monitor, to review warrant applications;
-
significant narrowing of the wide range of offences for which the warrants can currently be issued; and
-
safeguards that limit the use of intrusive powers after all other avenues to achieve the same results have been exhausted.
The Human Rights Law Centre raised these significant concerns when the laws were introduced three years ago, pointing to the disproportionality and insufficient safeguards, but these concerns were largely ignored.
Submission to 2025-26 Federal Budget consultation
The Human Rights Law Centre has put forward recommendations to the 2025-26 federal budget submissions across a range of issues, including campaigning for an Australian Human Rights Act, migration justice, prisoners’ rights, whistleblower protection and modern slavery.
Read more
Submission to Inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities
In a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry into antisemitism on Australian university campuses, the Human Rights Law Centre has called for reforms that uphold Australia's commitment to international human rights standards, fostering a society that respects equality, freedom, and justice for all.
Read more
Joint Submission to the QLD Parliament Inquiry into Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024
Change the Record and the Human Rights Law Centre strongly condemn the Crisafulli Government’s laws to lock up even more children in Queensland’s overcrowded and unsafe police watch houses and youth prisons. The laws will disproportionately imprison Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and children with disabilities.
Read more
Acknowledgement of Country
The Human Rights Law Centre acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, including the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Darug and Wadawurrung people where we work from.
We pay our respect to Elders past and present. This land always was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
WARNING: This site contains images or names of people who have passed away.