A Tasmanian advocacy group has been announced as one of 21 finalists in the 2023 Australian Human Rights Awards.
Advocacy Tasmania were chosen from over 260 nominations due to their over 30-year commitment to improving and restoring human rights for Tasmanians and the wider community through ‘individual advocacy, systemic change and education’.
Advocacy Tasmania CEO Leanne Groombridge said the team were “thrilled” to have been selected in the community award category.
“Working for our clients to have their rights restored is what we do day-to-day. Without our support, our clients’ rights would likely continue to be ignored,” Groombridge said.
“We will keep going with this important work and make services and systems accountable and respectful of human rights.”
Groombridge said they have spent the ‘last few years’ working to fix the “broken guardianship and administration system [in Tasmania], the oldest and most draconian in the country”.
“Guardianship and administration systems, across Australia, are inherently cruel and dehumanising. They treat people as being less than human and make them fight, often for years, to enjoy basic human rights.”
“Our human rights work will continue until this system is replaced.”
The winning ‘human rights heroes’ will be announced in Sydney on Friday 8 December by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
