In 2021, Liberty Victoria is awarding the Voltaire Empty Chair Award to all refugees and asylum seekers in on and off-shore detention.

Established in 2016, this award is presented to a person who is worthy to receive the Voltaire or Young Voltaire Human Rights Awards, but cannot be present to receive the award due to the consequences of their exercise of or advocacy for human rights, free speech or civil liberties. Previous recipients have been Iranian cartoonist Ali Dorani aka 'Eaten Fish', Behrouz Boochani and Bernard Collaery.

Liberty Victoria condemns the Federal Government’s decision to further cut arrivals to Australia. This was called for by the Victorian Government, amongst others. This is a breach of human rights which will exacerbate the suffering for people who have already been separated from their families for too long.

Public housing residents continue to be fearful one year on that the hard lockdown could happen again: Human rights and community lawyers, supported by local community organisations, urgently seek legal changes to protect against overreach of public safety powers Public housing residents continue to be fearful one year on that the hard lockdown could happen again: Human rights and community lawyers, supported by local community organisations, urgently seek legal changes to protect against overreach of public safety powers

Last week, on the same day that IBAC released its damning report into Victorian prisons, we marked the 15 year anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) coming into force.

And last weekend we marked the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Liberty Victoria is delighted to announce that the 2021 Voltaire Human Rights Award is being awarded to the Children of Tanya Day.

The Voltaire Human Rights Award honours a person or group have made outstanding contributions to human rights, free speech or civil liberties, with particular emphasis on progressing freedom, respect, equality, dignity and action.

VALS, Liberty Victoria, the Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, the Human Rights Law Centre and Fitzroy Legal Service call on the Andrews Government to implement laws to protect Victorians’ private information that is being collected for contact tracing.

Check in data has played a vital role in strengthening Victoria’s contact tracing system during the pandemic. It relies on the Victorian community having faith that their personal information will be managed correctly and only used for the specific purpose of contact tracing.

The Right Honourable Tony Benn MP once famously remarked ‘the way a government treats refugees is very instructive because it shows you how they would treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it’.