Australian Human Rights Commission facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Equal Opportunity Commission" redirects here. For the United States' Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, see Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Quick facts for kids
Australian Human Rights Commission
Commission overview

Formed	1986 (1986)
Preceding commission	Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Jurisdiction	Australia
Headquarters	Sydney
Employees	126
Minister responsible	Mark Dreyfus, Attorney-General of Australia
Commission executives	Ros Croucher, President June Oscar, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner Chin Tan, Race Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kay Patterson, Age Discrimination Commissioner
Key documents	Racial Discrimination Act 1975 Sex Discrimination Act 1984 Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Age Discrimination Act 2004 Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986

Ros Croucher, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission since 2017

The Australian Human Rights Commission is an important group in Australia. It works to protect everyone's human rights. It also helps stop unfair treatment, known as discrimination.

This group started in 1986. It was first called the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). In 2008, its name changed to what it is today. The Commission is funded by the Australian Government but works independently. This means it makes its own decisions.

The main job of the Commission is to check if people's rights are being respected. It investigates complaints about discrimination. This includes unfair treatment based on age, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or if someone has a criminal record that is not important to the situation. It also covers discrimination based on someone's marital or relationship status, or their involvement in a trade union.

Who Leads the Commission?
Laws the Commission Uses
Public Investigations
Reviews
Human Rights Awards
Working with Other Countries
See also

Who Leads the Commission?

The Australian Human Rights Commission works under the Attorney-General of Australia. This is a government minister who is in charge of legal matters. The Commission has several leaders, called Commissioners, who focus on different areas of human rights.

Commission Presidents

The President leads the entire Commission. Here are the people who have been President:

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Marcus Einfeld	President, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission	1986–1990
2	Sir Ronald Wilson		1990–1998
3	Alice Tay		1998–2003
4	John von Doussa		2003–2008
5	Catherine Branson	President, Australian Human Rights Commission	2008–2012
6	Gillian Triggs		2012–2017
7	Ros Croucher		2017–present

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioners

These Commissioners work to protect the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Mick Dodson	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner	1993–1998
2	Zita Antonios		1998–1999 (acting)
3	Bill Jonas		1999–2004
4	Tom Calma		2004–2010
5	Mick Gooda		2010–2016
6	June Oscar		2017–present

Disability Discrimination Commissioners

These Commissioners focus on the rights of people with disabilities.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Elizabeth Hastings	Disability Discrimination Commissioner	1993–1997
2	Chris Sidoti		1998 (acting)
3	Susan Halliday		1999 (acting)
4	Sev Ozdowski		2000–2005 (acting)
5	Graeme Innes		2005–2014
6	Susan Ryan		2014–2016 (acting)
7	Alastair McEwin		2016–2019
8	Ben Gauntlett		2019–present

Human Rights Commissioners

These Commissioners deal with general human rights issues.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Brian Burdekin	Human Rights Commissioner	1986–1994
2	Chris Sidoti		1995–2000
3	Sev Ozdowski		2000–2005
4	Graeme Innes		2005–2009
5	Catherine Branson		2009–2012
6	Tim Wilson		2013–2016
7	Edward Santow		2016–2021
8	Lorraine Finlay		2021–present

Race Discrimination Commissioners

These Commissioners work against unfair treatment based on a person's race or background.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Irene Moss	Race Discrimination Commissioner	1986–1994
2	Zita Antonios		1994–1999
3	Bill Jonas		1999–2004
4	Tom Calma		2004–2009
5	Graeme Innes		2009–2011
6	Helen Szoke		2011–2013
7	Gillian Triggs		2013 (acting)
8	Tim Soutphommasane		2013–2018
9	Chin Tan		2018–present

Sex Discrimination Commissioners

These Commissioners work to stop unfair treatment based on a person's gender.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Pam O'Neil	Sex Discrimination Commissioner	1984–1988
2	Quentin Bryce		1988–1993
3	Susan Walpole		1993–1997
4	Moira Scollay		1997–1998 (acting)
5	Susan Halliday		1998–2001
6	Pru Goward		2001–2007
7	John von Doussa		2007 (acting)
8	Elizabeth Broderick		2007–2015
9	Kate Jenkins		2016–present

Age Discrimination Commissioner

These Commissioners focus on stopping unfair treatment based on a person's age.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Pru Goward	Commissioner Responsible for Age Discrimination	2005–2007
2	John von Doussa		2007 (acting)
3	Elizabeth Broderick		2007–2011
4	Susan Ryan	Age Discrimination Commissioner	2011–2016
5	Kay Patterson	Age Discrimination Commissioner	2016–present

National Children's Commissioner

These Commissioners work to protect the rights and well-being of children.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Megan Mitchell	National Children's Commissioner	2013–2020
2	Anne Hollonds	National Children's Commissioner	2020–present

Privacy Commissioner

The Privacy Commissioner deals with protecting people's personal information. This role was once part of the Human Rights Commission.

Order	Official	Official title	Term
1	Kevin O’Connor, AM	Privacy Commissioner (at HREOC)	1989–1996
2	Moira Scollay	Privacy Commissioner (at HREOC)	1997–1999
3	Malcolm Crompton	Privacy Commissioner (at HREOC until July 2000, then at OPC)	1999–2004
4	Karen Curtis	Privacy Commissioner (at OPC)	2004–2010
5	Timothy Pilgrim PSM	Privacy Commissioner (at OAIC) Acting Australian Information Commissioner (from 2015)	2010–present

The Privacy Act 1988 created the Privacy Commissioner role in 1989. This role was part of the Commission until 2000. Then, a new, separate office was created just for privacy issues.

Laws the Commission Uses

The Commission investigates complaints under several important Australian laws. These laws help protect people from discrimination.

Here are some of the main laws:

Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth)
Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth)
Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth)
Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth)

The Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 explains the Commission's duties. It helps Australia follow international agreements about human rights. These agreements include:

Public Investigations

The Commission often holds public investigations into important issues. These investigations help them understand problems and suggest solutions.

Some past investigations include:

Homeless Children Inquiry (1989)
National Inquiry into Racist Violence in Australia (1989-1991)
Inquiry into making online services easier for older Australians and people with disabilities (2000)
Pregnancy Discrimination Inquiry (2000)
Inquiry into unfair financial and workplace treatment against same-sex couples
Investigation into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (Bringing Them Home Report (1997))
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention (2004 and 2014)
Review of pregnancy and returning to work (2014)

Reviews

The Commission also conducts reviews of specific areas. For example, in 2020, they reviewed Australia's gymnastics program. This happened after some former athletes complained about unfair treatment and abuse.

Human Rights Awards

Since 1987, the Commission has given out the Human Rights Awards. These awards celebrate people and groups who have done great things to protect human rights in Australia.

Working with Other Countries

The Australian Human Rights Commission is part of a global network. It is one of about 70 national human rights groups approved by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). This group works with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Being approved by GANHRI allows the Commission to speak at the Human Rights Council and other United Nations meetings. This helps Australia show how it is protecting human rights. The Commission also helps other human rights groups in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2022, the Commission's top approval status was put on review. This was because of concerns about how new Commissioners were chosen and about cuts to the Commission's funding.