The Australian Human Rights Commission have announced the finalists for their 2025 Human Rights Awards.
From youth support workers and filmmakers to legal reformers and medical professionals, this year’s 20 finalists were selected from nearly 300 nominations across 5 categories.
Among the nominees is Associate Professor Michelle Telfer who has been a world leader in transgender health care.
Associate Professor Telfer is nominated for the Human Rights Medal which has been awarded annually since 1987. Telfer, who is originally from Western Australia, was an Olympic gymnast before making the move into medicine. Since 2022 she has been the Chief of Medicine at Mental Health Central at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.
Telfer is nominated for her advocacy for trans and gender-diverse young people and shifting national conversation towards inclusion, compassion and evidence-based care.
Also nominated in the same category is Travis Lovett, the Executive Director of the Centre for Truth Telling and Dialogue, William Tilmouth from Indigenous organisation Children’s Ground and environmental activist Anjali Sharma.
Australian Human Rights Commission President, Hugh de Kretser, said the Awards recognise the tireless efforts of individuals and organisations working to advance human rights across the country.
“The Awards shine a light on Australia’s human rights champions – individuals and organisations working across healthcare, education, law, the arts, the environment and more to improve the lives of others,” de Kretser said.
“This year’s finalists reflect the diverse ways people are advancing justice and equality.”
Western Australian Indigenous organisation Yokai is nominated too
Yokai: Healing Our Spirit, the Western Australian Indigenous organisation lead by Jim Morrison, is also a nominee in the Media and Cultural Industries category. They’re nominated for their documentary Genocide in the wildflower state which portrays the trauma and resilience of survivors of the Stolen Generations in WA.
Two other films teams are also in the running. Victoria’s Fringe Dweller Films are nominated for Killjoy, a documentary telling the story of Kathryn Joy – a child-survivor of family violence which highlights the ways children’s voices are overlooked in systemic responses to family violence. While In Films from Queensland are nominated for Unbreakable: the Jelena Dokic story, which documented how abuse was ignored and highlighted the need for safeguarding children’s rights in sport.
The four nominee in the category is reporter Ben Doherty from The Guardian who has highlighted human rights and humanitarian issues, from domestic servitude to experiences of forced migration and asylum.
For the Law Award Elisabeth Armitage from the Northern Territory is nominated for her work as a Coroner and judge in making institutions accountable for upholding human rights and removing barriers so every citizen can enjoy full, safe and equal lives.
Jane Tiller from Victoria is nominated for leadership in addressing ethical, legal and social issues in genomic medicine and transforming the human rights landscape of Australian health policy. While Tekan Lee Cochrane from Victoria is up for her work for safer systems through law reform and community, especially for First Peoples, migrants and others facing injustice. The fourth nominee is Queensland’s Belinda Kochanowska for using the law to uphold disability rights and restore dignity and autonomy for clients in the NDIS.
The Young People’s Award features nominees Shakira Robertson, Jarib Branfield-Bradshaw, Charlotte Bailey and Satara Uthayakumaran.
Robertson is recognised for her trauma-informed work to prevent domestic and family violence and transform Tasmania’s systemic response. While Queensland’s Branfield-Bradshaw is nominated for supporting young people by providing culturally safe spaces for them.
Advocacy for people with disability to be paid fairly for their work and raising awareness about the value of inclusive employment has seen Charlotte Bailey from the ACT nominated, while Uthayakumaran from New South Wales is being raised for her innovative advocacy in sharing letters from children in detention with policymakers, her Listening Tour and her dedication to legal and social reform.
In the running for the Community Award is Diversity Arts Australia Welcome Merchant, Womn-Kind and advocate Ramnik Singh Walia.
The award winners will be announced at a special ceremony on Friday 12 December at the UTS Great Hall in Sydney, coinciding with International Human Rights Day. The event will also feature the annual Human Rights Day Oration with the guest speaker to be announced soon.
