Goal 1: Greater prioritisation and embedding of human rights issues at the national level Outcome 1.1 The national human rights reform agenda proposed in the national conversation initiative is considered by the Parliament, government and the non-government sector. Progress indicators 1.11 and 1.12 Implementation of the national conversation initiative is viewed by stakeholders as impartial, inclusive, participatory and consensus led; Parliament, government and non-government stakeholders access and engage with the relevant stages of the national conversation initiative. Free and Equal: an Australian Conversation on Human Rights The Commission’s Free and Equal: An Australian Conversation on Human Rights (Free and Equal) project seeks to identify what an effective system of human rights protection for 21st century Australia would look like, and what steps Australia needs to take to get there. The project will outline the actions necessary for governments to meet their obligations to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights. Free and Equal is a multi-limbed project that has progressed through several stages. It began with the release of a 2019 Issues Paper describing the human rights landscape and asking general questions about priorities for reform, followed by three technical discussion papers on discrimination law, increasing the positive framing of human rights in Australian legislation, and accountability mechanisms. These papers sparked an inclusive national conversation on human rights reform, held via submissions and a broad series of consultations and events led by the President. The project will culminate in the next reporting period, with the release of a series of position papers setting out the Commission’s proposed reform agenda. Each of the position papers is designed to complement the others, and to address necessary human rights reforms across different areas of law, policy, and practice. Together, they will communicate the Commission’s actionable vision for a comprehensive, harmonised, and robust human rights framework that embeds Australia’s international obligations, fosters preventative approaches, and enhances accountability. The project has continued to attract strong engagement from organisations, individuals, and public bodies at every stage. For example, the initial discussion papers prompted over 160 submissions, and in this reporting period alone 42 consultations were held with 190 participants from legal, business, NGO and public sectors, academia, and parliamentarians. This adds to a total of more than 1,000 stakeholders engaging across the life of the project, inclusive of submissions, consultations, roundtables, technical workshops, and a national conference attended by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Her Excellency Dr Michelle Bachelet.3 Annual Report 2020–2021 Australian Human Rights Commission 27