Has Australia's human rights record gone backwards? Institute interns Jasmine Crittenden and Chloe Lee interview Australian Human Rights Commission President Hugh de Kretser about the Universal Periodic Review scheduled for Australia in 2026: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/students/blo...

"Australia will have a central role to play over the next year in maintaining global momentum in shifting away from fossil fuels and accelerating the renewable rollout even faster." - Research Associate Wesley Morgan. theconversation.com/australia-ha...

Just over two weeks out from Australia's new age-related restrictions on social media, Institute Associate and UNSW Law & Justice Associate Professor Daniel Joyce looks at the complex balancing of human rights involved: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/com...

STUDENT BLOG | While Australia ceded its bid to co-host #COP31 in 2026 to Türkiye, the need for a strengthened human rights protection framework has become more urgent than ever: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/students/blo...

The final Human Rights Defender for 2025 is out now, with news on the winner of the Andrea Durbach Prize, COP30 and concerning new modern slavery numbers. Read it here: mailchi.mp/unsw/human-r... Subscribe here: bit.ly/HRDSubscribe

“You just couldn’t say the risk is low when you’ve got over 80 per cent of cotton coming from Xinjiang. That’s a high risk." -Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social speaks with The Daily Telegraph about the slavery risks from ultra cheap e-commerce platforms. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nationa...

The number of people who've reported being victims of modern slavery activity in NSW has risen by 116% since last financial year. Australian Human Rights Institute director, Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social, chats to the ABC's World Today program about the figures: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The Australian Journal of Human Rights (@journalhumanrights.bsky.social), Australia’s first peer-reviewed journal devoted exclusively to human rights, is seeking expressions of interest to fill positions on its Editorial Board. Find out more: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/sites/defaul...

WATCH | The Australian Human Rights Institute recently launched its new 'Provocation Series' at the Art Gallery of NSW. You can now watch a full recording of the debate over whether the pursuit of diversity and inclusion is dead: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/events/pursu...

NEW RESEARCH | Our latest report examines the role of Ethical Clothing Australia’s accreditation program, its alignment with emerging standards for responsible workplace practices, and its global counterparts involved in improving standards in the sector: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/cur...

This week, the Institute took part in a showcase of UNSW's efforts to drive change through the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including our Global Student Fellowships and Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social's research into shaping ethical global supply chains: www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

LISTEN | The implied freedom of political communication has been at the centre of several recent high-profile court decisions. Institute Associates Luke McNamara and Daniel Joyce discuss the right to free speech in Australia with the ABC's Law Report: www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Congratulations to the latest winner of the Andrea Durbach Prize, Dr Lisa Ewenson. Each year, @journalhumanrights.bsky.social awards the prize to an author whose article reflects the values that have resonated in Professor Durbach’s career. Read more: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/news/winner-...

Four female UNSW Engineering students are among those selected as Australian Human Rights Institute Global Student Fellows in 2025. They'll join Engineers Without Borders in locations such as Cambodia and Timor-Leste as part of the paid fellowship program: www.inside.unsw.edu.au/societal-imp...

Australian Human Rights Institute Associate and Founding Director of UNSW's Tax and Business Advisory Clinic, Associate Professor Ann Kayis-Kumar, speaks with ABC Radio National's 'The Economy, Stupid' about "sexually-transmitted tax debt" www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social, will join tomorrow's United Nations Association of Australia conference marking 80 years of the UN and addressing human rights challenges for the next decade. More information: www.unaansw.org.au/conference?m...

OUT NOW | Record number of students being sent to work with human rights orgs, alarming new human trafficking numbers + eminent jurist Navi Pillay to launch a groundbreaking new book on the ICC. Read the latest news: mailchi.mp/unsw/human-r... and subscribe: bit.ly/HRDSubscribe

A new study, co-authored by the Institute's Gillian Moon and Dr Wesley Morgan, has quantified the far-reaching consequences of the Scarborough gas project, finding it could cause heat-related deaths in Europe and destroy 16 million corals on the Great Barrier Reef: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

"The reality is we live in a comfortably well-off country and assume everything is fine, but under the surface, you have modern slavery going on." - @justinenolan.bsky.social responds to reports human trafficking has reached a record high in Australia: www.canberratimes.com.au/story/908693...

SPECIAL EVENT | Eminent jurist and former UN Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navi Pillay, will join us in Sydney on November 7 to help launch a new book on the International Criminal Court. Register: events.humanitix.com/feminist-jud...

NEW ISSUE | Volume 31.1 of the Australian Journal of Human Rights is out now. Read some of the highlights from this issue here: mailchi.mp/unsw/new-iss... and the full edition here: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjhu20/3...

“There is blatant sexism in medicine... doctors aren’t even aware of the symptoms of some women’s cancers." The Australian Human Rights Institute's Professor Louise Chappell, on her experiences with cancer and campaign for better recognition of gender in medicine: www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/new...

TONIGHT | We're joining forces with UNSW Law & Justice and Pride in Law to host some human rights trivia as part of UNSW Diversity Festival: www.events.unsw.edu.au/event/fierce...

This month's Human Rights Defender is live, with a wrap of last week's debate on the future of DEI, a look at the new National Suicide Prevention Strategy and Australia's state of denial over the climate crisis. Read it here: bit.ly/HRDIssue46 Subscribe to get next month's issue: bit.ly/HRDSubscribe

What does good business practice look like? Institute Director @justinenolan.bsky.social will share research from our project on transforming business practices in global supply chains at the UN Responsible Business & Human Rights Forum in Bangkok this week. Register: indico.un.org/event/1018118/

A huge thank you to all who braved the extreme weather to join us last night for our special event at the Art Gallery of NSW. We'll have more details on the fantastic panel debate, along with podcasts and video in the coming weeks.

EXPLAINER | For World Suicide Prevention Day, read about the new National Suicide Prevention Strategy, its major shift from fragmented crisis responses towards prevention and systems change, and what suicide prevention has to do with human rights: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/com...

VIDEO | If you missed Wednesday's launch event for our new report, State of Denial, with Jennifer Robinson, Gillian Moon, Nathan Kennedy and Dr Chris McGrath, you can now view a recording on our website: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/events/launc...

Registration is now open for the 5th Pacific #BizHumanRights Forum on localising UNGP implementation, being held 23–24 Sept 2025 in Fiji. Register: forms.office.com/pages/respon... or find out more information here: www.ohchr.org/en/events/fo...

New analysis from the Australian Human Rights Institute has found the Australian government is in breach of its obligations to protect human rights by failing to limit fossil fuel production for export. Read more in our latest research report: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/news/new-rep...

The Conversation takes a look at a new book the Institute will be launching in November, 'Feminist Judgments: Reimagining the International Criminal Court'. It brings together nearly 50 authors to “re-envision a range of judgements” delivered at the ICC: theconversation.com/how-can-the-...

SOLD OUT | We're now a full house for our special event at the Art Gallery of NSW on 10 September, but you can still join the waitlist if further tickets become available: events.humanitix.com/is-the-pursu...

NEXT WEEK | Join us for the launch of a groundbreaking report examining Australia’s legal obligations for human rights harms caused within Australia by its fossil fuel exports, with special guest speaker Jennifer Robinson. Register: events.humanitix.com/state-of-den...

Business and human rights experts, including Institute director Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social, will converge on Melbourne tomorrow for this special event, co-hosted by the Australian Human Rights Institute. Find out more about the UN forum here: unbhrforumanz.org

We were thrilled to play host to Kenneth Roth earlier this month, where he imparted nearly 30 years experience defending the rights of people at @hrw.org. Check out his explainer video on battling abusive governments from UNSW's Centre for Ideas: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkKD...

EXPLAINER: Over on our student blog, the Institute's intern team take a look at the attacks on DEI initiatives in the United States and how they are impacting Australia: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/students/blo...

This month's Human Rights Defender has hit inboxes with news on the landmark ICJ opinion on climate, an explainer on DEI, and a warning that Australia's human rights record is sliding backwards. Read it here: bit.ly/HRDIssue45. Subscribe to get next month's issue direct: bit.ly/HRDSubscribe

There are just two weeks until the United Nations Business and Human Rights Regional Forum in Melbourne, co-hosted by the Australian Human Rights Institute. Explore the program and register here: events.humanitix.com/un-bhr-regio...

Financial abuse is often overlooked and even exacerbated by the ATO's inflexible treatment of tax debt. Associate Professor Ann Kayis-Kumar spoke to ABC's The Business program about how perpetrators are deliberately weaponising the tax system to further their abuse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug_2...

"Without stronger laws, Australia risks becoming a dumping groung for goods made with forced labour if other countries implement effective import bans." -Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social speaks with ABC News. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

“We have clients come to us in tears, sharing that their abusive former partner has said, 'I'm going to financially ruin you.’” -Institute Associate Ann Kayis-Kumar speaks with the ABC News about the need for investment in greater support for victims of abuse: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

SELLING FAST | Tickets to our special event at the Art Gallery of NSW on 10 September will sell out. Don't miss this incredible panel debate the future of diversity and inclusion as core values in our society. Get tickets: events.humanitix.com/is-the-pursu...

"Australia is the world's largest coal exporter and a top gas exporter, and a UNSW study has concluded Australia is second globally for emissions from fossil fuel exports." - ABC News takes a look at the Institute's 2024 climate report, Escalation: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

The Australian Human Rights Institute's Dr Wesley Morgan and Gillian Moon react to last night's groundbreaking ruling on climate action from the world’s highest court: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/com...

Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, Professor @justinenolan.bsky.social, writes for The Conversation about how one lawyer took on Big Asbestos and won: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/com...

CLOSING 5PM TODAY | Last chance for students to apply for our pioneering Global Student Fellowship program, which offers paid opportunities to work with international development and human rights organisations around the world. Learn more and apply: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/students/glo...

A coalition of more than 150 organisations, including the Australian Human Rights Institute, have submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council showing Australia’s human rights record sliding backwards ahead of a major UN review: www.hrlc.org.au/news/austral...

OUT NOW | July's Human Rights Defender has all the latest news on fast fashion, climate litigation, renters' rights and our Global Student Fellowship program. Read it here: mailchi.mp/unsw/human-r... and don't forget to subscribe here: bit.ly/HRDSubscribe

CLOSING SOON | Just one week to go until applications close for this year's Global Student Fellowship round. Find info and apply here: www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/students/glo...

The program is now available for the inaugural UN Business and Human Rights Regional Forum: Australia and New Zealand, co-hosted by the Australian Human Rights Institute. Have a read and register here: unbhrforumanz.org