Our Work

Everyone should be able to participate fully in their job, regardless of their gender or ability.

As part of that broader thinking, we’re written a report that considers the case for menstrual leave or flexibility in the workplace. We hope to overcome the taboo of menstruation and create a more safe, inclusive and productive society.

Human rights defenders are people who stand up for human rights and hold power to account. Because of this work, they are often the targets of repression by state and corporate actors. When human rights defenders are restricted in what they can say and do, the flow on effects for our democracy are troubling.

After working with Julian Burnside QC’s Myki Flying Squad to fight unfair myki fines, we created mykifines.org.au.

The website’s aim was to give commuters the information they need when caught without a valid ticket.

Eighteen percent of women in Australia have reported experiencing sexual violence. But, by some estimates, up to 45 percent of women in Victorian psychiatric wards have reported experiencing sexual assault, and 85 percent have reported feeling unsafe while receiving inpatient treatment.

When a victim/survivor of sexual assault seeks counselling, their counselling records can be subpoenaed in family law proceedings, for example in a parenting dispute. The production of these counselling records to court may re-traumatise victim/survivors, and make them less likely to seek counselling treatment after a sexual offence.

The right to privacy reflects the importance of human dignity, and underpins many other rights including freedom of association and expression. In the digital age though, our privacy is under constant threat.

For a long time, religious groups were allowed to provide dogmatic religious instruction to primary school students in the public system. A sustained campaign by parents, educators and academics argued that this was not compatible with our secular values. We released a report which outlined how the special religious instruction program was contrary to human rights.

Our research has demonstrated that denying rights, security and stability to people seeing asylum and refugees not only significantly impacts their mental and physical health, but also puts enormous strain on the community organisations who support them.

States of Refuge highlights how refugees and people seeking asylum across different parts of Australia must navigate unpredictable, disparate and often conflicting access to essential services. It is a disparity faced by virtue of the state or territory in which they live. It also shows how difficult it is to navigate the disparate provisions of different Australian jurisdictions.

Australia’s current offshore processing regime has become reduced to a secret deal with Taiwan to ensure that people seeking asylum on Nauru never gain entry to Australia. RAP investigated and reported on the secrecy and scandal surrounding the Australian government’s newest move in offshore processing.