After an open merit selection process, Hugh de Kretser (pictured) has been selected as the newest president of the AHRC after Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher finishes her seven-year term at the end of July.

Speaking about the new appointment, the outgoing president welcomed de Krester on behalf of all commissioners and staff.

“For over 20 years, he has been a dedicated and effective advocate for positive change for people and communities whose human rights are at risk,” she said.

“I look forward to handing the baton to Mr de Kretser as he takes the commission into its next phase in its critical role of protecting and promoting human rights in Australia.”

Currently CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, de Kretser has previously been the executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre and executive officer of the Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres. He also served as a commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and a director of the Sentencing Advisory Council.

In a statement, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC congratulated de Krester and thanked outgoing president Croucher.

“I congratulate Mr de Kretser on his appointment and thank him for taking on this important role,” he said.

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“I also thank Professor Croucher for her service as president since 2017. In particular, I acknowledge her advocacy to support the commission retaining its accreditation as Australia’s A-status National Human Rights Institution in 2023. Professor Croucher has made a valuable contribution to the human rights discourse in Australia through the Free and Equal: An Australian conversation on human rights project, which will culminate at the commission’s Free and Equal Human Rights Conference in June as part of the Vivid Sydney Festival.”

Croucher’s appointment will conclude on 29 July, and de Kretser will begin his five-year term on 30 July 2024.