Human Rights Law Centre

WIN: Every worker, regardless of their visa status should be treated with dignity. This week, we took a step forward with the introduction of the new Workplace Justice Visa, and a visa protection guarantee. Watch Legal Director, Sanmati Verma explain. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gSMvBKsn

No matter if we've lived in Australia for one month or our entire lives, we should all be treated with respect at work. The new Workplace Justice Visa is already giving hope to migrant workers fighting for justice against exploitation by dishonest bosses. Together with migrant workers and the Albanese Government, we co-designed the visa and the protection against visa cancellation, which are being trialled for two years. These are critical first steps to ensuring that every worker, no matter their visa status. is treated fairly in Australia. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gh4ruk2K

Congratulations and welcome to the new Australian Human Rights Commission President Hugh de Kretser! Hugh was our former Executive Director, and was CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission prior to taking up the new role. Thank you Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM for your outstanding service, including the strong calls for an Australian Human Rights Act. We will continue to work closely with the Commission to build a fairer future where everyone in Australia can enjoy their human rights.

Join us tomorrow for a webinar with Australia’s and the UK’s leading whistleblower experts to launch the Human Rights Law Centre’s Climate and Environmental Whistleblowing Guide. Learn how whistleblowers are essential in the fight for climate justice and how our complex laws can be navigated to empower people to speak up against environmental wrongdoing. Register for free: https://lnkd.in/gd56KdUi

Every child should go to school, have a safe home to live in and be supported to learn from their mistakes. Victoria's Youth Justice Bill is a step in the right direction, but vital changes are needed. Contact your MP to call for change 👇 https://lnkd.in/g5yhu4_V

HIRING: Are you our next Media and Communications Manager? This is a rare opportunity for a media and communications expert passionate about equity, justice and human rights. Apply by Friday 9 August. 👇 https://lnkd.in/gU5AvcY

BREAKING: Every year, thousands of migrant workers are exploited in unsafe and underpaid work, endangering their health, their lives and their family’s future. For too long, a person’s ability to take action against an exploitative boss, has depended on their visa or citizenship status in Australia. That’s why the Human Rights Law Centre welcomes the Albanese Government’s introduction today of groundbreaking reforms to protect migrant workers, including: ❤️ A world-first Workplace Justice visa, allowing migrant workers to stay in Australia with permission to work, while they hold employers to account for labour violations and modern slavery. 💼 A new guarantee against visa cancellation, which ensures that a migrant worker’s visa will not be cancelled if they come forward to hold exploitative employers to account.  This framework was first proposed in our 2023 Breaking the Silence report co-authored with Migrant Justice Institute and was endorsed by over 40 organisations including unions, legal centres, churches and migrant rights groups. Find out more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gn76bARK

How can whistleblowers be protected and empowered to speak up about wrongdoing to the planet? 🌏 Join us on 31 July for a webinar with Climate Action Network Australia and leading experts from Australia and the UK to learn about whistleblowing for climate justice. Register now 👇 https://lnkd.in/gd56KdUi

HIRING: We're looking for a new Legal Director to lead our Democratic Freedoms work defending whistleblowers, protecting protest, and campaigning for an Australian Human Rights Act. This role can be based in Melbourne or Sydney. Apply by Friday 26 July. 👇 https://lnkd.in/gU5AvcY

What’s next for Australia’s modern slavery laws? Legal Director Keren Adams recently wrote this piece in Business and Human Rights Journal highlighting the weaknesses of Australia’s modern slavery laws. Australia now has a critical opportunity to make our laws more effective by implementing key recommendations from the 2023 Independent Statutory Review of the Modern Slavery Act, including the introduction of: 1.     penalties for non-compliance 2.     a due diligence obligation for reporting businesses. The #bizhumanrights community in Australia looks forward to the Government’s response to the 2023 Review.  https://lnkd.in/eShwPwYt