Submission to NDIS Act Reform
The Australian Government has proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, through the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No.1) Bill 2024. The Bill seeks to respond to concerns related to quality and safeguards, fraud and financial sustainability issues within the scheme.
The Human Rights Law Centre is concerned that the Bill will not address these underlying concerns, without strengthening safeguards for whistleblowers. It is crucial that providers, workers and participants are empowered to speak up about wrongdoing under the scheme, but the NDIS Act whistleblower protections have fallen drastically behind best practice.
The Human Rights Law Centre, in its submission to the Committee, recommended reform to the whistleblower protections under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Cth) to address key deficiencies in the NDIS Act whistleblower protections. The submission calls for:
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expanding the scope of eligible individuals to make a disclosure and be protected under the scheme
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introduce key reforms to make it simpler and easier for NDIS whistleblowers to make a disclosure to the appropriate body
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introduce a positive obligation for the Safeguards Commission or National Disability Insurance Agency to investigate a whistleblower disclosure
Read the submission here.
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.
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Submission to Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Act 2021 review
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.
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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.
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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.