Presented by the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Human Rights Awards is an annual celebration of human rights achievements.

Join us and 600 guests from across the country to acknowledge, congratulate and share the important work of individuals and organisations making valuable contributions to advancing and protecting human rights in Australia.

At this year's event we will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Dec 10). This landmark document sets out universal human rights and recognises the equal worth of every person.

This year, 21 finalists are being honoured across 5 categories:

Human Rights Medal
Young People’s Award
Media and Creative Industries Award
Community Award
Law Award

The Awards night brings together people from across the human rights, humanitarian, legal, government and community sectors for a memorable celebration of human rights heroes.

Awards ceremony

Friday 8 December, 5:15pm – 9:30pm
University of Technology Sydney Great Hall, UTS Building 1, 1/15 Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW
The ceremony will also be livestreamed nationally via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89111543631

Guests will have the opportunity to mingle before and after the ceremony, enjoying delicious canapes as well as quality wines, beers and soft drinks from award-winning and sustainable social enterprise caterer Aerial.

Entertainment

Kee’ahn, a First Nations musician from North Queensland and a proud Yalanji, Jirrbal and Badu Islander artist, will perform two of her most popular songs during the ceremony. Winner of the Archie Roach Award at the National Indigenous Music Awards, Kee’ahn creates soulful music with lush melodies and healing lyrics. Kee’ahn honours their Wik name, which means to dance, to sing, to play.
Kate Monroe is one of Australia’s preeminent house DJs, ruling dance floors both here and overseas. She is known for her unique style and energy behind the decks, regularly performs at major events and programs the music for the official annual Sydney NYE party. Kate will perform 2 fabulous sets during the pre- and post-ceremony receptions.
Nas Campanella will return to MC the Awards. As the ABC’s disability affairs reporter, Nas helps to elevate the voices of people with disability across radio, TV and online platforms. She has also undertaken projects with ABC International Development and initiatives for people living with disability across the Pacific.

Many thanks to all our awards partners for their generous support. Special thanks to our Principal Partner the Paul Ramsay Foundation, and our Major Partners Federation of Ethnic Communities Council Australia, the Delegation of the European Union to Australia, Creative Australia and LexisNexis.

2023 Human Rights Day Oration

Commonwealth Attorney-General the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP will deliver this year’s Oration.

The Attorney-General will focus on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the significance of the Declaration in both an Australian and international context.

The Australian Government is also currently conducting an inquiry into updating Australia’s human rights framework, so the views of the Attorney-General on this subject will be of significant interest, especially for workers in the community, government, legal and education sectors.

Participation

Tickets can be purchased to attend the live event in Sydney:

Standard | $60 (inc. GST)
Community | $40 (inc. GST) | students, seniors, concession-card holders and not-for-profit workers
Ally | $100 (inc. GST) | Buy 1 ticket and help subsidise 1 ticket for a community guest
Ally 5 Pack | $500 (inc. GST) | Buy 5 tickets and help subsidise 5 tickets for community guests + your name/company logo receives recognition at the event in programs and on screen.
Ally 10 Pack | $1000 (inc. GST) | Buy 10 tickets and help subsidise 10 tickets for community guests + your name/company logo receives premium recognition at the event in programs and on screen.

Participate Online

For those who can’t attend the event in Sydney, we’ll be broadcasting a FREE live stream of the Awards via Zoom. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Accessibility

The Great Hall is an accessible venue. Both the live event and online broadcast will have live captioning and Auslan interpretation. Please advise of any specific access requirements during the booking process.

COVID Safety

COVID remains a concern for us all, so if you've tested positive for COVID or you're feeling unwell, please consider participating online rather than in person.

2023 Australian Human Rights Awards finalists

21 human rights champions have been selected as finalists for this year’s awards.

Human Rights Medal

Dr Daniel Nour
Juliana Nkrumah AM
Mechelle Turvey
Dr Helen Watchirs OAM

Media and Creative Arts Award

Northern Pictures
Insight | SBSTV
Anne Connolly
Common Ground

Young People’s Award

Gabriel Osborne
Sarah Williams
Zahra Al Hilaly
Maggie Blanden and Keshi Moore

Law Award

Aboriginal Legal Service WA
David Barnden
Economic Justice Australia
Human Rights for All

Community Award

Advocacy Tasmania
Equality Australia and Sydney WorldPride
Square Peg Round Whole
Sisters Inside

Find out more about all the finalists: https://humanrights.gov.au/2023-australian-human-rights-awards

A winner from each category will be announced at the ceremony on Friday 8 December 2023.

About the Australian Human Rights Awards

The Awards were established by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 1987 to recognise the contributions of individuals across the nation who made it their life’s mission to champion human rights, social justice and equality for all.

Over three decades the Awards has evolved, with a range of different awards presented at various times to respond to relevant changes across our society and culture. The esteemed Human Rights Medal remains the only category from the inaugural Awards.

The first Human Rights Medal winner was Indigenous activist Rose Colless OAM, who was acknowledged for her tireless work in drug and alcohol rehabilitation initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In the following years, the Human Rights Medal was awarded to other individuals including Fred Hollows, Peter Greste, Dorothy Hoddinott AO, Ian Thorpe, Jonathan Thurston, The Hon Peter McClellan AM QC and Chrissie Foster AM, and Rosemary Kayess.

Enquires

For more information about the event or how to participate, please contact us at aushumanrightsawards@humanrights.gov.au

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