2008 was a momentous year for human rights, thanks to your support.

It started with the overdue formal apology by the Australian Government to the Stolen Generations. It culminated in a new international era, with the election of US President Barack Obama and his commitment to restoring their human rights record.

We marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by celebrating our many achievements and mapping out the road ahead.

We welcomed the Federal Government's announcement of the much-anticipated national consultation into human rights protection.

Following years of passionate campaigning by Amnesty International activists and many others, the Federal Government established the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children and tasked it with developing a National Plan of Action.

Our high-profile 'Great Firewall of China' campaign led to greater scrutiny of China's very poor human rights record and increased freedoms in the lead-up to Beijing Olympic Games.

The treatment of asylum seekers improved when the Federal Government ended the Temporary Protection Visa scheme, closed the offshore detention centre in Nauru and shelved the so-called 'Pacific Solution'.

But much remains to be done.

Simply saying sorry to Australia's Indigenous peoples is not enough. At the end of 2008, the Racial Discrimination Act was still suspended as part of the Northern Territory emergency response. A national scheme to deliver full reparation to the Stolen Generations was still needed, as well as consultation and action to close the shocking gap between Indigenous life expectancy and that of the rest of the Australian population.

Australian women were still waiting for violence against women to be properly addressed and asylum seekers were still being housed in prison-like facilities on Christmas Island.

The global financial crisis must not be used as an excuse for inaction on urgent human rights issues anywhere in the world.

Until we have change, we must never forget that one in six people live in slums and 800 million people go to bed hungry. Amnesty International's Demand Dignity campaign calls for action to address the fundamental link between poverty and human rights.

Despite the magnitude of the challenges we face, Amnesty International will continue to hold all governments to account and to shine a spotlight on injustice. Thanks to your support and action we will continue to protect and defend people's human rights.

Claire Mallinson
National Director
Amnesty International Australia