Complaints to the ACT Human Rights Commission jumped 21 per cent last financial year, driven by a 50 per cent rise in complaints from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and a third more reports of abuse, neglect and mistreatment of vulnerable people, while the watchdog warns it lacks the staff to meet demand.
The commission received 2,068 complaints and more than 2,100 enquiries in 2025-2026. It investigated 201 complaints from or on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, representing 10 per cent of the total.
Discrimination, Health Services, Disability and Community Services Commissioner Karen Toohey said community narratives about vilification and racism were contributing to the rise. "Unfortunately, some of the narratives in the community about vilification and racism are contributing to people wanting to bring more complaints," she said. "People [are] aware … that they don't have to take those behaviours, which we think is great."
Ms Toohey said a federal parliamentary inquiry into violence and racism against Aboriginal people had heard that, since the Voice referendum in particular, people were reporting an increase in vilification and racism.
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services CEO Julie Tongs said the complaint numbers understated what communities experienced. "There's still a gross under-representation from what I hear on the ground and what I see," she said, adding that some people were frightened to report because they feared child protection or other services would become involved.
More than 150 complaints about vulnerable people were lodged, up 33 per cent, covering disability services, aged care, elder abuse within families and abuse of people with disabilities within families.
Advocacy for Inclusion CEO Nicolas Lawler called the increase in disability discrimination complaints concerning. "The ACT has strong human rights protections, and the Human Rights Commission plays an important role in helping people exercise those rights," he said. "But having rights written into legislation is not enough if they are not respected in practice."
Human Rights Commissioner Penelope Mathew, writing in the commission's annual report, warned that demand could not be met at current staffing levels for the human rights team. "The impact of not adequately resourcing the independent human rights watchdog is felt by the most vulnerable Canberrans," she wrote.
Carers ACT Acting CEO Victoria Dolphin cautioned that the rise in vulnerable people complaints was not necessarily linked to carers, noting that financial abuse often happened in the background and scams were increasing.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- More Canberrans are turning to formal complaints to challenge discrimination, at a time when the independent watchdog says it cannot meet demand with current staffing.
- The 50 per cent jump in complaints from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people points to rising experiences of racism and vilification, a trend community leaders link to the post-referendum climate.
- The third rise in reports of abuse, neglect and mistreatment of older people and people with disability raises questions about the systems meant to protect them.
Background
The ACT Human Rights Commission is the territory's independent watchdog for discrimination and human rights complaints, operating under the ACT's Human Rights Act. It investigates complaints across health, aged care, disability, children and young people, and victims of crime services. Commissioners have linked the increase in racism complaints to a federal parliamentary inquiry into violence and racism against Aboriginal people, which heard that vilification had increased since the Voice referendum. The commission has four commissioners who advocate for vulnerable people.
Key Perspectives
ACT Human Rights Commission: Discrimination Commissioner Karen Toohey welcomes the rise in complaints as a sign that people know they do not have to accept racism or vilification, and says the process is culturally safe with protections against retribution.
First Nations community services: Julie Tongs of Winnunga Nimmityjah says the official figures under-represent what communities experience, and that fear of involving other services such as child protection deters people from reporting.
Disability advocates: Nicolas Lawler of Advocacy for Inclusion says the increase in disability discrimination complaints is concerning and that legal rights are meaningless if not respected in practice.
Commission leadership: Human Rights Commissioner Penelope Mathew warns that inadequate resourcing means demand for information and support cannot be met, with the most vulnerable Canberrans affected.
Carers ACT: Acting CEO Victoria Dolphin cautions that the rise in abuse and neglect complaints is not necessarily linked to carers, noting that financial abuse and increasing scams often happen in the background.
What to Watch
- Whether the ACT government responds to the commission's resourcing warning, including in the next territory budget.
- The findings and recommendations of the federal parliamentary inquiry into violence and racism against Aboriginal people.
- Whether complaint numbers continue to climb, and whether that reflects more incidents or greater willingness to report.