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Commission - General

Human Rights Education for Life

Thank you for inviting me here today, to speak about a topic which in my view receives too little attention yet is one of critical importance not only to the way we live but to the kind of society we live in – the topic of human rights education.

Category, Speech
Commission - General

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I was invited to pick my own topic for discussion. As an ex-judge being invited to speak to students of the law, I assumed that I was expected to speak on something related to the administration of the law from a judge's perspective. And as President of Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), I assumed I was expected to mention the role of human rights promotion in our legal system.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2010)

Firstly, let me begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. You always have been and always will be the traditional owners of this land where we meet today.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Indigenous Peoples in the UN System's Political Institutions

At the outset, I would like to extend my warmest thanks for the invitation addressed to me to present my views concerning on timing and important subject entitled: "the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the political institutions of the United Nations system."

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Geography at the Millenium: Dr Bill Jonas (1999)

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Eora people, the traditional owners, custodians and kinsfolk of the land where this conference is being held.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Presentation to the NSW Subcommittee of the Australian Braille Authority

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things that we take for granted? When you're wandering through the breakfast cereal isle at the supermarket, for example, do you ever wonder whether Uncle Toby really was? If so, was he related to Sara Lee? Were Nana's apple pies originally made by Granny Smith? It's not so much that familiarity breeds contempt as that it lulls us into a state of mind where we no longer feel the need to question or even test our assumptions and presumptions.

Category, Speech
Commission - General

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Thank you Professor Lansbury, and thank you to Marian and the Women and Work Research Group for organising today’s forum. Thank you also to our panellists – Dr Lyn Craig, Petra Stirling, and John Murray.

Category, Speech

Being a young person can be tough. Sometimes it can feel like you don’t have a say about things that affect you. But you do! Having a say is one of your rights. Understanding your rights will give you the power to stand up for yourself and the people around you. So, let’s break down what children’s rights are.

My rights as a young person

What is a right?

Human rights are special protections that help us live a happy, healthy life. Human rights protect the things that we should all have—like clean water and safety. Your rights should always be respected and never taken away from you. 

Universal and equal rights

Human rights are universal and equal. Which means:

  • Everyone has human rights, simply because they are human—no matter who they are, how they identify, or what language they speak, or if they have a disability. 
  • No right is more important than another—all rights are important and should be treated with the same respect.
Silhouette of six children holding hands and playing outdoors at sunset, standing in a line against a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Did you know there are 42 rights just for children?

ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ have special rights to meet their special needs. They are written down in an agreement made by world leaders in 1989—the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Adults are responsible for making sure children get the special care they need to grow up healthy and happy. 

Here are some important rights for children 

You have the right to:

  1. Be treated fairly no matter what.
  2. Have a say about decisions affecting you.
  3. Live and grow up healthy.
  4. Have people do what is best for you.
  5. Know who you are and where you come from.
  6. Privacy.
  7. Find out information and express yourself.
  8. Be safe no matter where you are.
  9. Be cared for and have a home.
  10. Education, play, and cultural activities.
  11. Believe what you want.
  12. Help and protection if you need it.

What do rights look like in real life?

Let’s use some examples to help you understand your rights.

My right to an education

All children have the right to an education.

  • Hunter lives hundreds of kilometres away from the closest school, but still has a right to an education. 
  • A teacher supports Hunter remotely by sending them lessons and holding classes online.

My right to be heard

All children have the right to be heard and have their views taken into account.

  • Amara has the right to a safe place to live. 
  • A community support worker listens to Amara’s concerns about where she lives. The worker helps Amara find a safer place.

My right to enjoy my culture

All children have a right to know who they are and where they come from. 

  • Nayuka has the right to learn about her culture. 
  • A cultural program teaches her about her mob, her culture, and how to care for Country.  
Rights and Freedoms

Human rights issues for young refugees and asylum seekers

The globalisation of the world economy, including much improved communication and transportation, has increased flows of people across borders. This includes the movement of children, both with their family and unaccompanied. Separated children crossing borders may be refugees, humanitarian asylum seekers, trafficked girls who will be forced to work as prostitutes, or simply children lost in the aftermath of war. So today, children can literally travel across the world undetected and unprotected. And Australia, as part of this global system, has its share of these children.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Lawasia Conference

In the contemporary world, and particularly amongst developed economies, many of us believed that the culture of civil liberties, freedoms and non-discrimination are reasonably well established and these precepts have clear links to innovation, creativity and the broader concepts of economic productivity and a well functioning civil society. Indeed, I believe that many of us had come to accept and expect this to be the situation, and that conferences like the one we attend here today could be built on this very premise.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights Day address: Chris Sidoti (1996)

Forty eight years ago this Tuesday, on December 10 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was a response to the trauma that many of the worldÂ’s nations had experienced in World War II. The trauma was especially strong among the nations of Europe, particularly because of the Holocaust, but it was also evident in East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific.

Category, Speech

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