COVID-19 and Human Rights Guidance The Commission created a new section of our website – COVID-19 and Human Rights – to answer the most common questions and concerns we have heard on the pandemic and human rights. The content includes general guidance on mandatory vaccination and mask wearing in public health orders from a discrimination law perspective, information on the human rights principles the Commission would apply to assess COVID-19 emergency measures, and guidance on what international human rights law says about how to balance human rights and public health during a pandemic. The information has been viewed 21,000 times. Closing the Gap The Close the Gap campaign (co-Chaired by Commissioner Oscar and Karl Briscoe) is the people’s movement aiming to raise the health, life expectancy, and broader socio-economic outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to that of the non-Indigenous population. It aims to do this through effective advocacy for the implementation of a human rights-based approach to Indigenous health, as set out in the Social Justice Report of 2005. The campaign consists of the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee – a coalition of 52 of Australia’s peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations, health professional bodies, and human rights organisations. The Campaign’s secretariat operates from the Commission. With the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap signed in 2020, the Campaign is now focused on the priority reforms and new targets as set out in this agreement. The 2021 Campaign report, Leadership and Legacy through Crises: Keeping our Mob Safe, was again produced by the Lowitja Institute and showcased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership capacity to respond effectively to the multiple crises faced over the past year. The report skilfully ties together best practice case studies of responses to COVID-19, bushfires, and climate change. It also includes the voices of Indigenous youth and leadership on social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention. This was an ambitious report, largely funded by Oxfam Australia, and is woven together with the striking public health imagery created last year to appropriately inform community members around their health and wellbeing. During the build-up to the report launch, Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) once again coordinated the National Close the Gap Day events, handling enquiries nationwide, recording an upsurge in people signing the pledge on their site to Close the Gap. Following report launches in Parliament House, and more recently in community (Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service), this year’s online report launch broke new ground. Over 2,000 participants attended the launch online and were met with a diverse panel. The Campaign leadership was joined by Minister Ken Wyatt, Sir Michael Marmot, and representatives from the community-based case studies in the report – Angel Owen (Seed Mob), Kevin Mckenzie (Alive and Kicking Goals!), and Professor James Ward (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander COVID-19 response). 52 Australian Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2020–2021