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Australia’s decision to forcibly return 31 Sri Lankan nationals to Colombo last night was based on a flawed process that fails to ensure Australia is not breaching its international human rights obligations by returning genuine refugees.

The group were deported without any proper assessment of their need for protection, a procedure the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has described as ‘enhanced screening’.

Senior Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, Daniel Webb, said that the Department’s increasing reliance on ‘enhanced screening’ is a shortcut designed to deliberately sidestep processes under Australian law that safeguard against returning genuine refugees.

Friday 17 May is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The Human Rights Law Centre is proud to be supporting the No To Homophobia campaign to spread the message that there is no place for homophobic attitudes in modern Australia.

Australia’s opposition to the death penalty should extend beyond its borders, the Human Rights Law Centre has said ahead of Foreign Minister Bob Carr’s visit to Papua New Guinea tomorrow.

 
  • Strengthening legal protections of human rights

 

Events

Human Rights Supporters Night in Sydney

Human Rights Supporters Night in Sydney

8 May 2013

This joint fundraiser is an opportunity to come together in a social setting to reflect on recent human rights achievements and challenges and to energise the movement to tackle the work that lies ahead of us.

 

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Fundraising Auction 2013

19 April 2013

Each year at the Annual Human Rights Dinner that we host with the Public Interest Law Clearing House, we hold both live and silent fundraising auctions.

We still have many more items to list here, but here's details for a few to whet your appetite. Even people who are not attending the dinner can place bids on most of the items, so get in quick with an early bid!

 

The value of a justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia

5 April 2013

A justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia would provide a valuable framework to prevent crime and promote community safety, reduce imprisonment rates and deliver associated social and economic benefits for the broad community, according to the Human Rights Law Centre.

 

‘Screening out’ risks returning genuine refugees to persecution

4 April 2013

The decision by the Department of Immigration to forcibly return 20 Sri Lankan nationals without properly assessing their refugee claims, a process known as ‘screening out’, deliberately bypasses processes under Australian law designed to safeguard against the return of genuine refugees to places where they face torture and human rights abuses.