Human Rights
Human rights
The Human Rights Committee represents the Law Society and its members on policy and practice issues arising in relation to the obligations of Australia and NSW under international and domestic human rights law, and to uphold the rule of law. Our priorities include:
- Developing and commenting on law reform and legal policy proposals (including preparing submissions, and liaising with government and other stakeholders in this process)
- Educating the legal profession about changes to the law, and providing guidance on practice and other issues
- Exchanging information about issues arising in legal practice (such as recent case law) that may indicate a legal policy issue or concern
Learn more about committees
Current committee members
How to join a committee
Recent policy submissions
Letter to NSW Drug Summit 2024 - 15 November 2024
Letter to Law Council of Australia - Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 – 27 August 2024
Letter to Law Council of Australia – Australia’s Humanitarian Program 2024-25 – 14 June 2024
Letter to Law Council of Australia – Review of skilled migration points system – 13 May 2024
Letter to NSW Law Reform Commission - Serious racial and religious vilification - 17 April 2024
Letter to Members of the Legislative Council - Bail and Crimes Amendment Bill 2024 - 20 March 2024
Letter to Modern Slavery Committee – Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) – 29 September 2023
Letter to Law Council of Australia - Australias Humanitarian Program 2023-24 - 30 May 2023
Letter to Law Council of Australia – National Human Rights Framework Review – 22 May 2023
Letter to Law Council of Australia - 2023 Workplace Reform Consultations - 15 May 2023
Letter to Law Council of Australia - Privacy Act Review Report - 20 March 2023
Letter to LCA – Consultation on Skilled Migration Reform – 3 March 2023
Visit the Human Rights policy submissions archive
2025 Committee list
A. Mojtahedi (Chair), J. Tyrrell (Deputy Chair), W. Ahmed, S. Calnan, S. Clarke, M. Coidan, S. Dhillon, R. Dominguez, J. Hall Spence, S. Henderson, A. Hussein, M. Iskander, C. Law, E. Leong, A. Levin, I. McGarity, K. McKenzie, J. McLean, M. Nawaz, S. Parsons, D. Pereira, C. Robinson G. Rohan, N. Ruppert, A. Sinclair, T. Spirovski. (Policy Lawyer: S. Bathurst)
How to join a committee
Law Society Committees have powers, authorities and tasks delegated by the Council. Consisting of dedicated volunteers, each committee focuses on a particular area of law, pooling together specialist skills and experience in order to scrutinise legislation, court decisions and other government policies.
There are three broad categories of committees:
- Regulatory committees – perform statutory duties under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW)
- Liaison committees – linked to other professions or organisations
- Policy committees
By drawing on the insights of committees, the Law Society can meet its statutory duties and act as a major player in law reform and policy debates.