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Abolish the Australian Human Rights Commission, says Family First

Family First Party

Family First National Director and NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton has renewed the party’s call for the abolition of the Australian Human Rights Commission, describing it as “an expensive, taxpayer-funded activist body that has lost its way and is now working against the human rights of women, children and families.”

 

Mr Shelton said recent reporting in The Australian highlighted serious concerns from parents and women’s advocates about the Commission’s endorsement of highly contested gender treatments for minors and its stance against sex-based rights.

 

“Parents of vulnerable children are pleading with the Commission to reconsider its position on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — treatments linked to infertility, impaired sexual function and long-term health risks,” Mr Shelton said.

 

“When more than 50 Australian families come forward warning of harm, regret and worsening mental health outcomes, any genuine human rights body should listen. Instead, the Commission has dismissed these concerns and doubled down.”

 

Mr Shelton said the Commission’s leadership had shown “astounding arrogance” in ignoring Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress (PAGD), claiming its advocacy was guided by the “best interests of the child,” despite growing international concern about the weak evidence base underpinning such medical interventions.

 

He pointed to findings from the Cass Review, which questioned the quality of evidence supporting youth gender medicine, as well as calls from parents for more cautious, non-medical approaches.

 

“Children have a fundamental human right to be protected from experimental medical treatments. Ignoring that right is not compassion — it is negligence,” he said.

 

Mr Shelton also criticised the Commission’s interventions in legal cases involving women’s sex-based rights, including disputes over single-sex spaces and services.

 

“The Commission has repeatedly taken positions that elevate gender identity over biological sex, undermining the privacy, safety and dignity of women and girls,” he said.

 

“When women raise legitimate concerns about single-sex spaces, they are dismissed or accused of denying someone’s existence. That is not human rights leadership — that is ideological activism funded by taxpayers.”

 

Mr Shelton said the Commission’s refusal to acknowledge the inherent tension between sex-based rights and gender identity claims demonstrated it was no longer capable of acting as an impartial arbiter.

 

“A body that cannot recognise real conflicts of rights — and instead shuts down debate — has forfeited its credibility,” he said.

 

Family First believes the solution is clear.

 

“The Australian Human Rights Commission should be abolished,” Mr Shelton said.

 

“It is no longer fit for purpose. It has become an anti-human rights commission — promoting harmful gender conversion practices for children and advocating against the long-standing rights of women.”

 

Mr Shelton said Family First would also push for the abolition of state-based human rights and equal opportunity commissions.

 

“Their abolition will be high on the agenda of Family First candidates at the upcoming NSW and Victorian elections.”

 

Mr Shelton said Australians deserved institutions that genuinely upheld universal human rights — not bodies captured by activist ideologies.

 

“Family First will fight to restore common sense, protect children, defend women’s rights, and ensure public institutions serve the people — not political agendas,” he said.

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