Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, will Address the National Press Club of Australia on “The Australian Human Rights Assessment 2026”.
It’s in everyone’s interest to protect human rights. Protecting human rights promotes equality, safety, dignity and prosperity for all people in Australia. Yet Australia has a mixed human rights record. As a wealthy, stable democracy, Australia can and should do much better.
In this first edition of what will be an annual assessment of Australia’s contemporary human rights record, Australian Human Rights Commission President Hugh de Kretser will evaluate how well Australia is protecting people’s human rights.
President de Kretser will report on progress and regress in relation to the rights of First Peoples, women, children, LGBTIQA+ people, people with disability, older people and refugees. He’ll assess how well Australia is responding to racism and other prejudice and bridging the human rights divide between our cities and country. He’ll gauge how well we’re upholding civil and political rights including freedom of expression and rights to peacefully protest.
He’ll explore how human rights are Australian values and explain how human rights can help to fix problems such as fraying social cohesion, climate change and Australia’s housing crisis.
In a rapidly changing world with so much at stake in terms of safety, freedom, equality and justice, this is a not-to-be missed event that will have implications for leaders and workers across government, legal, business and civil society sectors.
This event is part of the Commission’s 40 Years program.
