Human Rights Law & Lawyers
Human Rights Lawyers
Human Rights Lawyers generally represent individuals who have been discriminated against because of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed (religion), sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status (including same sex partners),family status, employment matters and other issues pertaining to human rights.
If you believe you have a legal matter pertaining to human rights Law and would like help from a lawyer regarding your particular situation, then please complete your free legal enquiry form on the left, or click here.
Australian Legislation pertaining to human rights
The federal Parliament has passed a number of laws which aim to protect people from certain kinds of discrimination in public life and from breaches of their human rights by Commonwealth departments and agencies.
The main laws pertaining to human rights in Australia include the following:
- Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986
- Age Discrimination Act 2004
- Disability Discrimination Act 1992
- Racial Discrimination Act 1975
- Sex Discrimination Act 1984
The Australian Human Rights Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission has statutory responsibilities under these laws. The Australian human rights commission has the authority to investigate and conciliate complaints of alleged discrimination and human rights breaches lodged under these law
Age Discrimination Act 2004
The Age Discrimination Act 2004 helps to ensure that people are not treated less favourably on the ground of age in various areas of public life including:
- employment
- provision of goods and services
- education
- administration of Commonwealth laws and programs
The Act also provides for positive discrimination – that is, actions which assist people of a particular age who experience a disadvantage because of their age. It also provides for exemptions in the following areas:
- superannuation
- migration, taxation and social security laws
- state laws and other Commonwealth laws
- some health programmes.
If you believe you have a legal matter pertaining to human rights Law and would like help from a lawyer regarding your particular situation, then please complete your free legal enquiry form on the left, or click here.
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 has as its major objectives to:
- eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities
- promote community acceptance of the principle that people with disabilities have the same fundamental rights as all members of the community, and
- ensure as far as practicable that people with disabilities have the same rights to equality before the law as other people in the community.
Source: www.humanrights.gov.au
If you believe you have a legal matter pertaining to human rights Law and would like help from a lawyer regarding your particular situation, then please complete your free legal enquiry form on the left, or click here.
Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986
The Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (formerly called the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 ). established the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (now known as the Australian Human Rights Commission) and gives it functions in relation to the following international instruments:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- Convention Concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Declaration of the Rights of the Child
- Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
- Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, and
- Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
In addition, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner has specific functions under the AHRC Act and the Native Title Act,1993 to monitor the human rights of Indigenous people.
If you believe you have a legal matter pertaining to human rights Law and would like help from a lawyer regarding your particular situation, then please complete your free legal enquiry form on the left, or click here.
Australian Human Rights Commission Regulations 1989 (Cth)
Section 3(1) of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) defines discrimination. The Australian Human Rights Regulations 1989 (Cth) lists additional grounds which will constitute discrimination under the Act.
Racial Discrimination Act 1975
The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 gives effect to Australia's obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Its major objectives are to:
- promote equality before the law for all persons, regardless of their race, colour or national or ethnic origin; and
- make discrimination against people on the basis of their race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin unlawful.
Sex Discrimination Act 1984
The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 gives effect to Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and certain aspects of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 156. Its major objectives are to:
- promote equality between men and women
- eliminate discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status or pregnancy and, with respect to dismissals, family responsibilities, and
- eliminate sexual harassment at work, in educational institutions, in the provision of goods and services, in the provision of accommodation and the delivery of Commonwealth programs.
Source: www.humanrights.gov.au
If you believe you have a legal matter pertaining to human rights Law and would like help from a lawyer regarding your particular situation, then please complete your free legal enquiry form on the left, or click here.
The Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 introduced a requirement for Statements of Compatibility to accompany all new Bills and disallowable legislative instruments and established a new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.
The Act affects the way that new policies and legislation are developed.
Australia's Human Rights Framework
On 21 April 2010, the Attorney-General launched Australia’s Human Rights Framework which outlines a range of key measures to further protect and promote human rights in Australia.
The Framework acts on the key recommendations of the National Human Rights Consultation Committee and complements a number of actions the Government is already taking to encourage greater inclusion and participation in our community.
The Framework is based on five key principles and focuses on:
- reaffirming a commitment to our human rights obligations
- the importance of human rights education
- enhancing our domestic and international engagement on human rights issues
- improving human rights protections including greater parliamentary scrutiny, and
- achieving greater respect for human rights principles within the community.
Specifically, the Framework demonstrates the Government’s commitment to positive and practical action in relation to human rights through a number of key commitments, including:
- investing over $12 million in a comprehensive suite of education initiatives to promote a greater understanding of human rights across the community
- establishing a new Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights to provide greater scrutiny of legislation for compliance with our international human rights obligations
- requiring that each new Bill introduced into Parliament is accompanied by a statement of compatibility with our international human rights obligations
- combining federal anti-discrimination laws into a single Act to remove unnecessary regulatory overlap and make the system more user-friendly, and
- creating an annual NGO Human Rights Forum to enable comprehensive engagement with non-government organisations on human rights matters.
These changes are designed to have broad effect and will enhance the understanding of, and respect for, human rights across the Australian community.
Australia’s new National Human Rights Action Plan
The Action Plan will be developed throughout 2011 in consultation with State and Territory Governments, non-government organisations and the Australian people.
The Australian Government will initially work with the State and Territory Governments to develop an exposure draft of the Action Plan. A draft report on the status of human rights in Australia will also be developed. Both are expected to be released for public comment in April 2011.
Source: www.ag.gov.au
Human Rights
General Resources
- Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
- AusAid: The Australian Government's overseas aid program
- Auseinet: Australian Network for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health
- Australian Law Reform Commission
- Australian Reproductive Health Alliance
- Bayefsky.com: The United Nations Human Rights Treaties
- BBC World Service: Children's rights
- BBC World Service: I have a right to....helps you understand your rights
- Commonwealth Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
- Human Rights Council of Australia
- Lawstuff: National Children's and Youth Law Centre
- National Committee on Human Rights Education (Australia)
- NSW Council for Civil Liberties
- Oxfam: Community Aid Abroad
- Refugee Council of Australia
- Religious Tolerance.org
- 8th National Rural Health Conference
- Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
- United States Department of State
International human rights treaties and other instruments:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
- Convention Concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
- Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, and
- Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
Human Rights Education Resources
The links below are to external websites and are a useful starting point in research. The sites contain invaluable information to assist teaching human rights. For resources developed by the Commission click here.
Australian resources
- A Just Australia - Just Refugee Programs
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission - Classroom (The Commission no longer exists - website is preserved by National Library of Australia's Pandora Archive)
- actnow.com.au - empowering young people
- ACTU Worksite for Schools
- AusAID's Global Education
- Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
- Australian Human Rights Centre
- Australian Human Rights and Civil Rights
- Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
- Bullying. No way!
- Champions of Justice: A Human Rights WebQuest
- Community Aid Abroad: 'Agenda for Human Rights'
- Education - The Age Newspaper
- Free Documentaries online - Human Rights documentaries
- Human Rights ABC site
- Human Rights and the Public Sector
- Inspire Foundation
- Lawstuff - Know Your Rights
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Educational Website
- NSW Commission for Children and Young People - Student Resources
- Play by the rules
- Racism. No Way! - Classroom Activities
- Reconciliation Australia
- United Nations Association of Australia
- World Vision Australia
International resources
- BritKid
- The Commonwealth - education resources
- CRIN (Child Rights Information Network)
- E-space for young people on human rights (HIV/AIDS)
- HREA - Human Rights Education Associates
- Human Rights Watch
- New Internationalist magazine
- 1951 Refugee Convention website
- OneWorld.net
- People's Movement for Human Rights Education
- Refugee Project and teachers' pack (UK)
- State of World Population 2000
- Tolerance.org
- United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
- United Nations - Human Rights Education
- United Nations - CyberSchoolBus
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- World Bank Group - Kids and Schools
Legal
Australia
International
United Nations
- United Nations
- UN daily news
- UN High Commission for Refugees
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- United Nations Human Rights Committee (the treaty body responsible for monitoring the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)
- United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women
- International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Note that many of the UN web-based resources can be difficult to locate or use. A more user friendly site, which includes many UN documents, may be found at the University of Minnesotta Human Rights Library
Other inter-governmental human rights entities/tribunals/courts
- African Commission on Human and People's Rights
- European Court of Human Rights
- International Labour Organisation
- Inter-American Commission of Human Rights
- Inter-American Court of Human Rights
- Institutions of the Inter-American Human Rights System
Government human rights and anti-discrimination institutions
- Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
- Asian Human Rights Commission
- Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights
- National Human Rights Commission of India
- New Zealand Human Rights Commission
- Northern Ireland Equality Commission
- Ontario Human Rights Commission
- Quebec Human Rights Tribunal
- South African Human Rights Commission
- South African Commission on Gender Equality
- United Kingdom Equality and Human Rights Commission
please be advised that the above links are obtained from the following source: www.humanrights.gov.au
