The human rights movement has brought down dictators, changed government policies and practices, won new international standards to address egregious abuses, and transformed public debate in order to bring human rights issues squarely onto the global agenda. Yet the human rights literature rarely examines the advocacy strategies that have been successful in protecting and promoting human rights.
Read MoreHRLC equality law expert Rachel Ball joins with investment banker and business leader Simon McKeon AO in analysing the government's proposed Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012.
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The safety of Tasers has been overstated; they can actually be lethal, and mustn't be misused as a weapon of first choice, writes Anna Brown for the ABC's The Drum.
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Australia should commit to using its seat on the UN Security Council to promote and protect human rights around the world writes the HRLC's Phil Lynch.
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As the State Coroner, Mary Jerram, begins her inquest into the death of the Brazilian student Roberto Curti, we need to ask ourselves if the investigation into his death was flawed from the outset.
Read MoreIt’s time to get real on what the new offshore processing regime means for children seeking international protection write Katie O’Byrne and Jason Pobjoy.
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Kwementyaye Briscoe died at the Alice Springs watch house in January 2012 after being detained for drunkenness. The coroner found that, while in custody, Mr Briscoe was denied basic and necessary medical treatment, dragged and treated with “undue vigour”. Another young Aboriginal man died in the same watch house in 2009.
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Australia should take a number of steps to ensure that our security cooperation with Indonesia does not in any way aid operations which may lead to human rights violations, writes the HRLC's Phil Lynch.
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By repeatedly defying UN treaty body rulings, Australia is undermining human rights and the rule of law writes the HRLC’s Phil Lynch.
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There is much to admire in Tony Abbott’s recent speech on the right to freedom of expression given to the Institute of Public Affairs. He is right to affirm, for example, that freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy, echoing the words of the UN Human Rights Committee, which has described the rights to freedom of opinion and expression as “the foundation stone for every free and democratic society”.
Read MoreThe Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s campaign co-ordinator, Pamela Curr, believes our collective respect for the sanctity of human life is undermined by policies which place lives at risk.
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There is mounting evidence that Australia's close cooperation with Sri Lanka on the prevention of people smuggling and the interception of asylum seeker boats is compromising our approach to human rights in that country.
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Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. Les Malezer, looks at Australia’s continuing struggle to become a reconciled nation.
Read MoreJason Pobjoy and Katie O’Byrne examine the legal limbo faced by refugees subject to adverse ASIO assessments.
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A society free from domestic and family violence is possible, but it will take effort from the whole community to achieve. First, we need to reject the myth that family violence is a private problem that only exists within the four walls of the home.
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In a long overdue move, Australia has moved a step closer towards independent monitoring, inspection and oversight of places of detention. A few weeks ago, the Commonwealth Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, tabled a report in parliament outlining the national interest in Australia becoming a party to a major international treaty on detention monitoring, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.
Read More“There is a path that the Government can take to reassure its critics that it wants the Stronger Futures legislation to comply with human rights standards. Putting it up for review by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights would be a strong signal,” writes Matilda Bogner, UN Human Rights Office Regional Representative in the Pacific.
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If the Australian Government was serious about human rights and the rule of law, it wouldn't treat the implementation of decisions of UN treaty bodies as optional, writes the HRLC’s Rachel Ball.
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The new Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, should make the promotion and protection of human rights a key aim of Australian foreign policy, writes HRLC Executive Director, Phil Lynch.
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Victoria Police is right not to rush the rollout of Tasers - stun guns that administer an electric shock of 50,000 volts. The tragic death of a man in Sydney at the weekend adds to the growing evidence from around the world that the safety claimed to be inherent in the use of Tasers is overstated: they can be lethal and they are frequently misused. In light of this, Victoria Police needs to ensure that the phased distribution of the devices is subject to rigorous review and evaluation. The case has not yet been made that use of them statewide is justified.
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