National Human Rights Committee
The National Human Rights Committee was established in November 2013. It considers matters referred to it by the Executive and the Secretariat of the Law Council.
The primary purpose of the Committee is to advise the Law Council on the domestic implementation of Australia's key human rights obligations, having regard to the rights and issues that are of priority interest to the legal profession.
Issues
The National Human Rights Committee:
- responds to proposed or existing federal laws, programs or policies that seek to implement, or fail to implement, Australia's key human rights obligations;
- engages with, or responds to, inquiries, reports or findings of relevant international and national bodies concerning Australia’s domestic implementation of its human rights obligations;
- responds to requests for advice by other Law Council committees or sections that are confronted with human rights considerations in their work;
- develops and implements Law Council of Australia policy on human rights matters of interest to the legal profession; and
- as part of this work, promotes the Law Council’s Policy Statement on Rule of Law Principles; Asylum Seeker Policy; Policy Statement on Human Rights and the Legal Profession; Guidelines on Law Council Intervention in International Human Rights Matters and Federal Human Rights Charter Policy.
Members
Membership is drawn from the Law Council's Constituent Bodies and also includes Expert Members. The current members of the committee are:
- Nicholas Cowdery AO KC (Chair) – New South Wales Bar Association
- Bridget Burton – Queensland Law Society
- Professor Andrew Byrnes – Expert Member
- Stephen Keim SC – Bar Association of Queensland
- Jacinta Lewin – Law Institute of Victoria
- Greg McIntyre SC – Law Society of Western Australia
- Kirk McKenzie – Law Society of New South Wales
- Dr Sarah Moulds – Law Society of South Australia
- Dan Star KC – Victorian Bar
- Professor Matthew Stubbs – Expert Member
Contacts
Chiara Angeloni
T. 02 6246 3742
E. chiara.angeloni@lawcouncil.au
Georgia Smith
T. 02 6246 3744
E. georgia.smith@lawcouncil.au
Last Updated on 21/10/2026