The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, through the Human Rights Subcommittee (the Subcommittee), has commenced an inquiry into Australia's efforts to advocate for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty.

Media release issue date: Monday, 1 January 0001

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, through the Human Rights Subcommittee (the Subcommittee), has commenced an inquiry into Australia's efforts to advocate for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. The inquiry was referred by the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon Penny Wong on 27 June 2024 with the following Terms of Reference. The Chair of the Subcommittee, Ms Maria Vamvakinou, commented, “there is no place for the death penalty in the modern world. State executions are cruel and are often associated with miscarriages of justice; all too often, innocent people are put to death and around the world, minorities and those with disabilities are disproportionately sentenced to death.” The Subcommittee will look also into progress against the recommendations in the 2017 Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade report: A world without the death penalty: Australia's Advocacy for the Abolition of the Death Penalty. Submissions from interested individuals and organisations addressing the terms of reference for this inquiry are invited by 2 August 2024. The preferred method of receiving submissions is by electronic format lodged online using a My Parliament account. Further information about the Committee’s inquiry is available on the Committee’s website. Media inquiries Office of Maria Vamvakinou MP (Member for Calwell; Chair, Human Rights Subcommittee) Ph: 0477 963 459; Email: Maria.Vamvakinou.MP@aph.gov.au. For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 2313 jscfadt@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.