This report traces the journey from Whitlam’s first Human Rights Bill in 1973 and examines how successive governments have tried and failed to deliver a Human Rights Act. It highlights the significant opportunity the Australian Government has to now establish an Australian Human Rights Act.

This study examines the characteristics of parricide in Australia using 35 years of data. Parricide, or the homicide of a parent by their child, comprises 5% of homicides each year. Findings illustrate the distinctiveness of parricide and the greater need to consider this form of lethal violence in responses to family violence.

This bulletin describes the findings of an analysis of 771 individuals proceeded against by police for image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) offences in four jurisdictions in 2022–23: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Victoria. It discusses implications for prevention and detection of IBSA offending, and underlines the need for tailored responses to IBSA...

This report examines Victoria’s prison population from 2004 to 2024. It considers the lengths of prison sentences imposed in Victorian courts, the demographics of Victorian prisoners, the sentenced and unsentenced (remand) populations, and the flow of prisoners through the prison system. It finds that Victoria’s prison population increased by 62% in 20 years.

Australia’s reliance on incarceration for a wide range of offences has come at a significant financial cost to taxpayers while failing to improve community safety. This report outlines the cost of prisons, trends in incarnation, the incarceration of non-violent offenders and recommendations for reform. It finds the reliance on incarcerating non-violent offenders is straining prison...