Looking back with humility, looking forward with hope

One of the great privileges of my role as Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has been the opportunity to have honest conversations with people about the issues that matter most. Speaking on stage with Shirley Leader at Unbreakable, the NCJWA national conference in Sydney, was one of those conversations.

We covered a wide range of topics, from genetic discrimination and women’s rights to antisemitism and the future of human rights. While each issue was different, I found myself returning to the same underlying question: how do we stay true to the ideal of universal human rights during difficult and divisive times?

Our conversation started with an issue close to my heart – the recent reforms to prevent genetic discrimination in life insurance. My mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s, so I have a personal understanding of why this matters. For many people, including women of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage who may face difficult decisions because of a higher prevalence of certain inherited genetic mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer, the principle is simple: no one should have to choose between protecting their health and protecting their future.

We also discussed the current tensions surrounding sex-based rights and gender identity protections. My starting point remains that human rights belong to everybody. No one should be subjected to hatred or discrimination, and transgender people – like all of us – should be able to live in safety and dignity. But protecting the rights of one group should never require us to diminish or obscure the rights of another. Women’s rights have been hard won and must remain protected, including through clear legal recognition of sex-based rights and legal certainty around designated single-sex spaces. That is why I said at Unbreakable that I support common sense reform of the Sex Discrimination Act.

The most personal part of our conversation was about the rise of antisemitism in Australia and the role of institutions like the Australian Human Rights Commission in responding to it.