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Race Discrimination

Australia's human rights progress

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Australia is widely considered the land of the "fair go".

And while that may ring true for many people, not all in our country are yet afforded the dignity and basic rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

As the final episode in our series commemorating the Declaration’s 75th anniversary explores, its promise in Australia remains a “work in progress”.

Learn more about our series here.

What does 'human rights' mean to you?

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10 December 2023 marked 75 years since the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In this first of a 5-part video series commemorating the anniversary from a local perspective, we hear from a diverse group of Australians about what human rights means to them.  

The Commission acknowledges this series comes at a time of major global crises. It is in the pursuit of peace, justice, and equality that we discover our common ground.

Now, more than ever, it’s time to promote and protect human rights.  

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 75 Years On Video Series

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In a video series commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we hear from a diverse group of Australians about what human rights means to them and where our nation still needs to improve.

View the rest of the series here.

Australia’s human rights champions put social justice and equality centre stage

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Women’s equity and racial equality advocate Juliana Nkrumah AM has been awarded the prestigious Human Rights Medal at the 2023 Australian Human Rights Awards in Sydney tonight.

Other awards went to Gabriel Osborne (Young People’s Award), Northern Pictures (Media and Creative Industries Award), Advocacy Tasmania (Community Award) and the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Law Award).

Racism in Sport - Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture 2023

Join hundreds of people around the country as we gather with experts to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: "Racism in Sport." This webinar comes in response to the continued struggles faced by those harmed by racism in the world of sports and builds upon decades of advocacy by the Commission.  

Commission President calls for human rights in Australia to be upheld in wake of Middle East conflict

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The President of the Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for respect for human rights to be front of mind for all Australians as the situation in the Middle East continues to worsen. 

Commission President and Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM said: “The devastating conflict in Israel and Gaza and its horrific civilian fallout is impacting people across Australia. Many communities are being directly affected, with loved ones among the dead, missing, and injured. 

Whatever the voice vote’s result, Australia has a racism problem we must tackle

Read Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan's op-ed, published in The Guardian Australia. "Australia will, fundamentally, be changed on 14 October. However the cards fall in the voice referendum, one thing is for sure: our next urgent national priority is tackling racism."

2022 Human Rights Oration by Larissa Behrendt

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Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO, winner of the 2021 Human Rights Medal, delivered the annual Human Rights Day Oration at the 2022 Human Rights Awards. She called for structural reform and self-determination for First Nations people: “Departments of child protection need to be replaced by empowered community-controlled organisations and true self determination. Child prisons and juvenile detention centres replaced with treatments that respect the humanity and vulnerability of children and strengthen families and communities.”
 

Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture 2022

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2022 Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture, delivered by the Attorney-General of Australia, The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP. A panel discussion on online hate and the need for legislative reform followed the lecture, moderated by Jeremy Fernandez from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The panel was comprised of experts on online hate and anti-racism action, Dr Matteo Vergani, Rita Jabri Markwell and Professor Sandy O’Sullivan

Racism. It Stops With Me campaign relaunch

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'Racism. It Stops With Me' is a national campaign calling on Australians who have not had lived experience of racism to reflect on its causes and impacts and commit to action. No matter how challenging the conversation, we need to talk about racism and the causes of inequality. By taking a stand against racism, we can build a fair and equal society – for all.