Slashing funding for human rights watchdog is dangerous for human rights and democracy
Today’s announcement that the Australian Government will slash the Australian Human Rights Commission’s funding by around 30% over the next three years has been denounced by the Human Rights Law Centre.
“These cuts will significantly weaken the Commission and reduce the government’s accountability on human rights at a time when rights are being severely threatened, in particular by harsh migration and counter-terror laws,” said Human Rights Law Centre Executive Director, Hugh de Kretser.
The cuts follow the Commission’s inquiry this year into children in immigration detention. The Commission’s inquiry report, which is with the Attorney-General and is yet to be released, is likely to be highly critical of government asylum seeker policy.
“It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the cuts are a politically motivated response to the children in immigration detention inquiry,” said Mr de Kretser.
The cuts also follow damaging funding cuts and restrictions imposed earlier this year on non-government organisations that undertake advocacy such as community legal centres, Indigenous legal services and the Refugee Council of Australia.
“This is a government that is responding to criticism by cutting funding, restricting advocacy and deliberately pressuring organisations that criticise it,” said Mr de Kretser. “These actions are dangerous for human rights and for Australia’s democracy.”
The Commission receives around 20,000 inquiries each year as well as over 2,000 discrimination and human rights complaints. It undertakes public education and conducts major inquiries into human rights issues of national significance, such as its inquiry into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force and its Stolen Generations inquiry that led to the national apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples in 2008.
The significant cuts announced today are in addition to funding cuts to the Commission already announced in this year’s budget.
More information:
Hugh de Kretser, Human Rights Law Centre: 0403 965 340
Legal challenge filed against Tasmanian Parole Board’s decision to gag free speech
The Human Rights Law Centre has filed legal proceedings on behalf of Tasmanian grandmother, Susan Neill-Fraser, to challenge a restrictive parole condition placed on her by the Tasmanian Parole Board seeking to limit her ability to speak to the media.
Read more
University of Melbourne urged to drop repressive anti-protest and surveillance policies
The University of Melbourne is being urged to abandon policy changes that restrict staff and students’ right to protest and permit the widespread surveillance of people using their wifi network.
Read more
Expanded protections for marginalised groups welcomed in Allan Government’s anti-vilification laws
The Human Rights Law Centre welcomes the additional protections for marginalised groups in anti-vilification laws passed today by the Allan Government. These laws expand protections from vilification to include people from LGBTIQA+ and disability communities, and provide communities with important civil law avenues to address vilification.
Read more
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia, including the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boon Wurrung, Gadigal, Ngunnawal, Darug and Wadawurrung people where we work from.
We pay our respect to Elders, both past and present.
This land always was, and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
WARNING: This site contains images or names of people who have passed away.