Australia has been praised for legalising same-sex marriage but scolded for its "abysmal" treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
Human Rights Watch, its its annual assessment of more than 90 countries, says Australia came a long way in 2017 but must address various unresolved issues.
More broadly, the report stressed the importance of world leaders pushing back against demagogues and their abusive policies towards minorities, human rights and democratic institutions.
In a chapter dedicated to Australia within its 643-page report, Human Rights Watch expressed serious concerns for the roughly 2000 asylum seekers and refugees being held on Manus Island and Nauru.
The organisation said many detainees had dire mental health problems and were enduring lengthy delays or denials of medical care.
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It is also worried those being held offshore are being exposed to regular episodes of violence, threats and harassment from local residents.
Human Rights Watch welcomed a royal commission report into ending the systemic abuse of children in youth detention in the Northern Territory.
However, it was scathing of staggeringly high incarceration rates among indigenous Australians, as well as several other perceived missteps in the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The report took aim at Australia "inconsistent" record on human rights, saying the country rarely showed leadership at the United Nations, particularly in relation to nations with close trade and border security ties.
