Human Rights Law Centre

Human Rights Law Centre

Location	South Melbourne and Sydney, Australia
Services	Social assistance
Executive Director	Hugh de Kretser
Website	hrlc.org.au

The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) is an Australian human rights group, with locations in South Melbourne and Sydney.

Activities

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

In April 2019, the HRLC compiled data showing that

In May 2019 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released figures showing that Indigenous minors were 17 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous youth. Indigenous youth made up 48% of those aged 10–17 in prison, but were only 5% of the general population aged 10–17. The HRLC joined Change the Record, an Aboriginal-led coalition of legal and human rights organisations calling for law reform. Ruth Barson was quoted as saying that it was "common sense" that children should be in school and playgrounds, not prisons.^[2]

Abortion

In May 2019, the HRLC joined 59 other organisations lobbying the

In October 2017, the HRLC criticised Canstruct International for taking a $591 million Australian Government contract to run the Nauru Regional Processing Centre. HRLC said Canstruct was taking up a "poisoned chalice" and that it would be "complicit" in an "internationally abusive system", that there was no ethical way for it to be involved.^[8] Keren Adams from the HRLC said “It is particularly appalling that the contract has been awarded to an engineering company with zero experience dealing with vulnerable people [...] Canstruct is an engineering company with a background building bridges. In accepting this contract, it will be taking the job of running a cruel, open-air prison detaining people, including many children, who are deeply traumatised.”^[9]

Citizenship rights

In January 2019, the HRLC criticised the Coalition Government of Scott Morrison for their plans to pass laws expanding powers of the Home Affairs Department (at the time headed by Peter Dutton) to strip Australians of their citizenship. The HRLC argued that expanding this power would risk making people stateless for minor crimes. Emily Howie warned "If Parliament passes this bill, we could see people banished to countries they’ve never even visited for crimes that were not even serious enough for a court to impose a prison sentence,"^[10]

Gender and sexual minorities

In August 2017 the HRLC launched a High Court challenge (Ors; Australian Marriage Equality Ltd & Anor v Minister for Finance & Anor [2017] HCA 40 (M105/M106 of 2017)) against the

In September 2014, the HRLC spoke in support of the Victorian Government allowing men who were convicted of having gay sex to apply to have their convictions erased. Anna Brown said this would help the men move past the shame of having a criminal record for something that shouldn't have been a crime in the first place.[12]

Voting rights

In August 2007, the HRLC ran a High Court challenge, Roach v Electoral Commissioner. The High Court eventually ruled that a federal law preventing most prisoners from voting was unconstitutional.^[13]

Youth prisoners

In April 2019 the HRLC joined the independent Inspector for Custodial Services in condemning the practice in Western Australian prisons of routinely strip-searching prisons, especially minors, without any prior suspicion of wrongdoing. Ruth Barson described the practice as "invasive, traumatic and entirely unnecessary" adding that it "strips people of dignity".^[14]

The HRLC has also made statements about Indigenous youth prisoners.

Governance

In May 2019 Hugh de Kretser was Executive Director of HRLC.^[15]

References