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Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Senate estimates.

Wong says she believes Australian activists were sexually abused by Israeli soldiers

The foreign minister defended her feminist credentials in a fiery Senate exchange in which she said she was open to meeting the flotilla activists.

  • Matthew Knott

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Garment workers in Bangladesh, which has been linked in the past to forced  labour.

‘Exploitation isn’t sustainable’: $100 trillion investor coalition demands overhaul of modern slavery laws

A powerful coalition has stepped up pressure on the government to introduce tougher laws, three years after a review found Australia’s legal framework had failed to create meaningful change.

  • Rob Harris
Tareq Baconi is to appear at the Melbourne and Sydney writers festivals.

Pushing back against silence, a queer Palestinian Christian bares all in his memoir

Shame, desire and displacement are key themes in this revelatory memoir.

  • Kerrie O'Brien
An image released by Myanmar state TV showed Suu Kyi in detention - but when it was taken is unknown.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest

The legal team of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi plans to meet the detained former leader this weekend.

  • John Mair
Queensland police conducted a wanding operation in Queen Street Mall on Thursday morning as part of an announcement on Jack’s Law.

Police mark another wanding milestone with operation in city mall

Since laws allowing police to search people without a warrant were passed, more than 1000 weapons have been seized.

  • Courtney Kruk
Kary’s parents tried to force her to marry at 13. She refused and is now studying psychiatry in Phnom Penh.

‘They said no one would love me’: The 13-year-old who refused to be a child bride

It took a lot of courage for Kary to defy her parents and follow her dreams.

  • Neary Ty
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Lesbian Action Group committee member Carole Ann, pictured in August 2023.

Lesbian activists claim win in push to exclude trans women from events

The group sought an exemption to discrimination laws to hold events for “lesbians born female only”. But trans women say they don’t speak for all lesbians.

  • Jack Gramenz and Michaela Whitbourn
Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Debbie Platz APM in her Brisbane office.

A-G says human rights staff concerns a matter for commissioner

This masthead revealed concerns within the Queensland Human Rights Commission about its new boss after an event that left staff in tears.

  • William Davis and Matt Dennien
The 34-level 400 George Street tower in Brisbane is tendering to replace cladding

Inside the human rights office planning day that left staff in tears

One source said half the room walked out after a charity representative with close ties to the new commissioner gave a presentation that contained triggering themes.

  • Matt Dennien
Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Debbie Platz APM in her Brisbane office during her first month in the role.

Watchdog’s silence on controversial government bill sparks alarm

New human rights boss Debbie Platz declined to publicly weigh in on the LNP’s proposed drug crackdown and new police power expansion.

  • Matt Dennien