Strengthen Australia’s Human
Rights Framework, embedding
human rights issues at the
national level.
nationally, through the National Children’s
Reports, and give voice to children and young
people so their rights are embedded in national
frameworks, such as child protection, family
violence and early childhood development.
We have a longstanding record of drawing
national attention to pressing human rights
issues, raising community awareness, and
encouraging positive action by governments,
businesses and others. We will continue to
advocate for, and work with Government
towards, a National Human Rights Framework
as set out in the Commission’s Free+Equal
project and supported by the May 2024 report
of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human
Rights, to ensure robust national protections of
human rights and accountability measures. This
includes advancing a national Human Rights
Act to ensure the effective and comprehensive
protection of human rights in Australia.
The Commission will continue to engage with
government to ensure robust protections
against torture and cruel treatment, consistent
with Australia’s obligations under the Optional
Protocol to the Convention Against Torture
(OPCAT). We will continue to monitor
immigration detention facilities, including
both centre-focused and thematic inspections,
and report specifically on the use of solitary
confinement in youth detention centres.
We will continue to advocate for reform of
all federal discrimination laws to ensure they
can meet the needs of 21st century Australia.
This includes the Disability Discrimination
Commissioner’s focus on desegregation,
and advocacy for reforms to the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA) in line with
recommendations made by the Disability Royal
Commission, as well as significant work from the
Disability Rights Team providing advice on DDA
education, premises and transport standards.
The Age Discrimination Commissioner will
continue advocacy focused on elder abuse with
focus on strengthening safeguarding measures,
policies and laws, as well as research and training
to understand and address age stereotyping in
employment and in care settings.
We will continue to monitor and report on
significant human rights issues through
our statutory reports to identify issues of
discrimination, exclusion and unfair treatment.
The National Children’s Commissioner will focus
on setting out a case for child justice reform
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Australian Human Rights Commission
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social
Justice Commissioner will draft the first of three
Social Justice Reports (during her five-year
term) outlining key human rights issues affecting
First Nations peoples.
We will deliver for Government endorsement,
a National Anti-Racism Framework led by
the Race Discrimination Commissioner, with
evidence on key measures of racism in Australia.
This includes leading an independent study to
better understand and address the prevalence
of both interpersonal and systemic racism
at universities.
The Human Rights Commissioner is leading the
Future Emergency Responses Project, which
aims to develop a human rights emergency
response framework to embed human rights
in future emergency and disaster responses in
Australia. The first phase of the project applies
a human rights lens to Australia’s COVID-19
pandemic response measures and seeks to
better understand its human rights impacts
with a view to improving future emergency
responses. The second phase will specifically
consider responses to natural disasters,
including bushfires and floods, from a human
rights perspective.