With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing and Victoria’s current state of emergency set to expire, Victoria is developing a new pandemic law to support the ongoing management of COVID-19 and any future pandemics.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic is a global human rights crisis which has caused widespread illness and millions of deaths and prompted often severe restrictions from governments to protect public health.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has required governments around the world to make difficult and high-stakes decisions. Most states across Australia have declared a state of emergency, giving governments and health officials broad powers to limit individual rights and freedoms in order to protect public health.
Read MoreOur ability to come together and speak out on the issues we care about is fundamental to our democracy.
Read MoreEveryone deserves to be safe in the face of COVID-19, but immigration detention facilities in Australia are creating unacceptable health risks.
Read MoreAustralia and the world face a public health emergency in coronavirus (COVID-19), but little has been said about the people in our prisons and youth detention centres.
Read MoreIn response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, most states across Australia declared a state of emergency and brought in new laws imposing severe restrictions on civil liberties and an increase in policing powers.
Read MoreThe Victorian Government is requiring people in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire to wear a face covering or mask when leaving their home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This explainer seeks to debunk claims that the requirement breaches people’s human rights.
Read MoreWhile politicians say that police are committed to taking a "sensible approach", history has shown that too often marginalised groups are disproportionately punished through an expansion of policing powers. In particular, people living with a disability, women escaping family violence and those experiencing homelessness may be hardest hit. In addition, increased powers - and police discretion - open the way for racialised and discriminatory policing, too often experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Read MoreThe Human Rights Law Centre works with international NGOs to highlight the human rights challenges presented by COVID-19 globally and to ensure that UN human rights mechanisms, such as Human Rights Council and Special Procedures, can support countries like Australia in implementing human rights based responses to COVID-19, and hold them to account when they fail to do so.
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