Rights and Freedoms
Charlie Hebdo V 18C: no contest
Charlie Hebdo would have risked being censored by the courts, but self-censorship is the reality of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
News
Rights and Freedoms
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Engage with us, says Commissioner Gooda
It has been just over twelve months since Australia elected Tony Abbott as Prime Minister. It’s been a time of great expectations, anxieties and stress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australians. During the 2013 election campaign, Prime Minister Abbott pledged to be the nation’s first ‘Prime...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 Launch
Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 Launch by Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ
Rights and Freedoms
Fraser Lecture 2014
Professor Gillian Triggs President ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ Fraser Lecture Canberra Check against delivery Thank you Dr Andrew Leigh for your invitation and introduction. It is an honour to be here in your electorate of Fraser in north Canberra. I would like to acknowledge that we meet on...
Rights and Freedoms
Celebration of brave journalism
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Introduction and acknowledgement Thank you Andrew for your welcome. Before I begin I would like to acknowledge that we meet on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to elders, past and present. May I also acknowledge Peter Greste’s parents and...
Rights and Freedoms
The government should fix two free-speech obstacles together: 35P and 18C
The Abbott government should correct the festering sores of 35P of National Security Legislation and 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act together. Since the passage of Section 35P of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill a number of journalists have decried the threat to free speech of...
Rights and Freedoms
Speak up out of respect for rights and culture
To advance human rights we need to promote a culture of respect for everyone exercising their choice and freedoms. On a day-to-day basis, human rights probably appear abstract for most Australians. The term often gets raised in discussion about how we are treating asylum seekers, or when we discuss...
Rights and Freedoms
Even in pursuit of valid goals, let's stop sacrificing principles and rights
In pursuit of legitimately tackling isolated criminal behaviour, Parliaments are reversing the basic principle of liberal democracy by criminalising the exercise of human rights and prescribing lawful activity.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Magna Carta shelters asylum-seekers
NEXT year is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, signed reluctantly by King John at the Âdemand of his rebellious barons in 1215. Buried in the middle of this foundational document of English constitutional law — setting out the single measure for wine and ale and the rights of widows on the...
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Keeping asylum seeker children in detention doesn't stop people smugglers - so why do it?
The former and current ministers for immigration and border security, Chris Bowen and Scott Morrison, agree on one thing: that asylum seeker children are not detained to deter people smuggling. Rather, it appears that patrol boats and naval frigates, commanded by a three star general, and a refusal...
Time to strengthen our lax surrogacy laws
Nationwide regulations are urgently needed to cover situations when Australians are engaging surrogates to have children for them. The range of assisted reproductive technologies available today presents many legal, moral and ethical challenges. These are challenges we can no longer ignore and...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
The Longevity Revolution – Crisis or Opportunity?
National Press Club Address
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Nulungu Reconciliation Lecture
Acknowledgements Thank you for your kind welcome and can I reciprocate as I begin today by respecting the Yawuru, the traditional owners of Rubibi the place that is now known as Broome. I thank them for allowing me on their country. I salute the Elders who are here today, those that have gone before...
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Sister Clare Condon - Sanctioned Violence: What does it do to our society and relationships?
I acknowledge the Gadagal People of the Aora nation on whose land we meet. I pay my respects to the elders past and present. I come here today as an ordinary citizen. I am not an academic, nor a lawyer. I am simply a concerned citizen. There are many nuances to the meaning of the word violence. It...
Rights and Freedoms
Lessons from RDA debate should not be forgotten - Opinion piece
A uniting, not dividing, approach is needed to reform restrictions on free speech, writes Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, in an opinion piece first published in The Australian on 9 August 2014. View the news story from the Commission's website.
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