Business

Briefing Paper for Attorney-General on Human Rights Initiatives (13 Jan 2011)

Respect for human rights is the foundation of a community that is fair, just and inclusive. In our view, the promotion and protection of human rights should be a priority for the Australian Government and the office of the Attorney-General. Following Nicola Roxon’s appointment as Attorney-General on 15 December 2011, the Human Rights Law Centre prepared a Briefing Paper [...]

Australia’s export credit agency must be reformed to better protect human rights in developing countries (25 Nov 2011)

The Human Rights Law Centre has made a submission to the Productivity Commission calling for reform of Australia’s Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (‘EFIC’) to better promote and protect human rights. EFIC is the Australian Government provider of export credits, insurance, reinsurance, and other financial services that support Australian exports and overseas investments. Like most export [...]

Business and Human Rights: Submission on UN Draft Guiding Principles (12 Jan 2011)

The United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General on Business and Human Rights is currently consulting on draft Guiding Principles that seek to implement the Special Representative’s ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework.  The HRLRC has provided the Special Representative with a Submission in relation to the draft Guiding Principles.  In short, the HRLRC supports [...]

Towards a Tasmanian Charter of Human Rights (3 Dec 2010)

On 20 October 2010, the Tasmanian Government released a ‘Directions Paper’ proposing a Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities for Tasmania.  The Government is seeking responses to the paper by 14 January 2011. The HRLRC has prepared a comprehensive submission, Towards a Tasmanian Charter of Human Rights, which recommends that a Tasmanian Charter have the [...]

Race Discrimination: UN Committee Releases Report and Recommendations on Australia (28 August 2010)

A high-level UN committee has found that Australia needs to take urgent measures to address racism and racial discrimination, disadvantage and inequality. On 27 August 2010, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released its Concluding Observations following a review of Australia’s compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of [...]

Universal Periodic Review: Joint NGO Report on Australia (12 July 2010)

Australia is to be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council through the Universal Periodic Review process in January 2011. A coalition of 68 NGOs - coordinated by the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Kingsford Legal Centre and the National Association of Community Legal Centres - has submitted a 5 page Report to the UN Human Rights Council [...]

Human Rights and Foreign Policy: Australia Could Become a ‘AAA’ State (Jan 2010)

In the course of the recent periodic review of Australia by the UN Human Rights Committee, one of the independent experts called on Australia to grasp its opportunity – and fulfil its obligation – to become a ‘AAA’ human rights state. This paper, entitled ‘Australia, Human Rights and Foreign Policy’ (2009) 34(4) Alternative Law Journal [...]

Australia and Human Rights Leadership: Initiatives to Promote Human Rights at Home and Abroad (Dec 2009)

On 10 December 2009, the Centre released a paper entitled Human Rights Leadership: Initiatives to Promote Human Rights at Home and Abroad.  The paper, which was provided to the Federal Government in September, proposes 20 initiatives which Australia could take to strengthen a range of normative, preventative and remedial mechanisms to protect human rights at [...]

Submission on Human Rights Advocacy to Henry Review of Taxation (May 2009)

The Human Rights Law Resource Centre, together with Blake Dawson, has made a Submission to the Henry Review of Australia’s Tax System.  The submission requests that the Review Panel recommend amending the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) to introduce a deductible gift recipient category for human rights organisations.   Currently, the common law definition [...]

Materials on Human Rights and Corporations

Allens Arthur Robinson, Brief on Corporations and Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region (Aug 2006) Allens Arthur Robinson, Corporate Duty and Human Rights under Australian Law (2008) Allens Arthur Robinson, Corporate Liability for Corporate Crimes (2007) Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Submission to CAMAC on Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights (2006) Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Business, [...]

Business and Human Rights: Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (February 2006)

This submission by the Human Rights Law Resource Centre Ltd to the Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee considers the issue of corporate social responsibility in a human rights framework. The submission contends that corporations have the potential and capacity to, on the one hand, contribute significantly to, and on the other hand, derogate significantly from, human rights in [...]