The Religious Discrimination Bill might be off the agenda, but the damaging ‘debates’ continue

CONTENT WARNNG: Contains discussion of suicide and mental health During the height of the marriage equality debate, a close friend of mine took his life. The grief, the shock, the guilt, the pain, the heartbreak was something I had never felt before. He was my girlfriend’s best friend, and she was broken. The next few …

Submission: Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 and related bills

Amnesty International welcomes the opportunity to provide this submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry into the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 and Related Bills (the Bill).

On Amnesty International’s 60th birthday, new poll finds 76% of Australians want a Federal Human Rights Act

As Amnesty International marks 60 years relentlessly challenging injustice and defending human rights, a poll of 1,600 Australians has found 76% of people support the introduction of a National Human Rights Act.  With many expressing surprise that Australia is the only liberal democracy without such an Act, there is also confusion over what rights are …

Human Rights Act key to addressing poor performance on rights

A National Human Rights Act would provide a roadmap from the many challenges we face, says Amnesty International Australia as it assesses the Morrison Government’s human rights track record on Human Rights Day. To mark the anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights on December 10, Amnesty International Australia has compiled a scorecard of …

It’s a COVID crisis, but we still have rights

New restrictions, increased police powers and the ability to suspend acts of Parliament have been introduced by the Victorian State Government to deal with a rapidly increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases. We’re all thinking of our family, friends, colleagues and those we don’t know in Victoria as we try to navigate our way through …

Submission: Free & Equal – An Australian Conversation on Human Rights

Amnesty International welcomes the opportunity to provide this submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s project on ‘Free and Equal: an Australian conversation on human rights’. Read our submission here. We believe that overarching human rights protection – such as a human rights act or charter – is the best way to protect, promote and …