Australian human rights body threatened with downgrade

SYDNEY: A global watchdog has threatened Australia’s Human Rights Commission with a potential downgrade of its international status over concerns about political involvement in key leadership appointments.

The commission risks losing its ‘A status’ rating for the first time in its 30-year history – a demotion that could see it stripped of its participation rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, which oversees these accreditations, said in a statement that Canberra had at times bypassed its own merit-based selection process for the Australian Human Rights Commission.

The watchdog pointed to two direct appointments made by Australia’s attorney-general – the country’s disability discrimination commissioner Ben Gauntlett and human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay.

It warned that “such appointments have the potential to bring into question the legitimacy of the appointees and the independence” of a country’s top human rights institution.

Finlay’s direct appointment last year sparked controversy, with Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor Grace Tame calling it a ‘grave mistake’ due to the commissioner’s opposition to laws requiring affirmative consent to sexual activity.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash was approached for comment about the Australian Human Rights Commission’s potential downgrade.

Hugh de Kretser, executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre, said that the government’s actions “have jeopardised our national human rights watchdog at a critical time for human rights, both at home and globally”.

The Australian Human Rights Commission will remain under scrutiny for the next 18 months until a decision about its status is made in October 2023, the watchdog said.