Commission - General
鈥楬ow could a Human Rights Act lead to better Government?鈥 The Hon Catherine Branson QC President, 黑料情报站 Australian Public Service Commission鈥檚 Senior Executive Service (SES) Breakfast The Boat by the Lake, Grevillea Park, Menindee Drive, Barton ACT 28 April 2009...
Commission - General
I am honoured to have been invited today to open this conference. I have a surname and ancestors with German origins, and I am the Chancellor of this august institution. I guess this explains the invitation, but I have to confess that I feel a bit of an outsider here amongst a distinguished audience steeped in knowledge about the topic of the Conference.
Commission - General
I am very grateful for this opportunity to address this speech night. 1998 is an historic year. Not only does it mark the 130th anniversary of Brisbane Grammar School, the oldest secondary school in Brisbane, it also marks the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They are both significant anniversaries and they are tied together by the importance they place on the role of education to inform, instruct and inspire.
Sex Discrimination
The 黑料情报站鈥檚 review of gymnastics in Australia highlights misconduct, abuse, and safety concerns.
Age Discrimination
Address by Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald: Intervention of the 黑料情报站 to 14th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing. Delivered on 23 May 2024.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
I begin by paying my respects to the Larrakia peoples, the traditional owners of the land where we gather today. I pay my respects to your elders, to the ancestors and to those who have come before us.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners, the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people of the Cairns region on whose land we are meeting today. I also acknowledge and pay respects to all of our elders here today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
On 14 May 2002 the Attorney-General tabled the Social Justice Report 2001, my annual review of the exercise of human rights by Indigenous Australians, and the Native Title Report 2001, my annual review of native title developments, in federal Parliament.
Disability Rights
I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal People , the traditional owners of the land on which we stand, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Disability Rights
I suppose we all have things we've passionate about - causes that we'd be prepared to die for, issues that give us the will to carry on in the face of criticism and ridicule.
Commission - General
I also thank Professor Barry Brook for his survey of the latest scientific assessments and forecasts on the impact of climate change on our planet. They are indeed alarming. The fact of climate change, and the rate of change, has become all too clear, even if there are still sceptics that wish to debate the causes. Our title reference to 鈥淐atastrophic Impacts鈥 seems fully justified.
Rights and Freedoms
As lawyers who work every day with ordinary people, you will all have first hand experience of the value that we, in Australia, place on human rights. You will also be acutely aware of the significant gaps in human rights protection in Australia.
If you feel uncomfortable, or like something is wrong, it鈥檚 really important you get help. Something not feeling right could mean that a person or an organisation isn鈥檛 playing by the rules when it comes to your rights. Let鈥檚 step through who you can turn to when children鈥檚 rights aren鈥檛 being respected.
If you feel unsafe or like something bad is happening to you right now, there are people who can help you straight away.
The first step in figuring out whether your rights have been disrespected is to know what they are in the first place. As a child in Australia, you have lots of rights. Like:
If you want to find out more about your rights, we鈥檝e got a page just for that.
A good place to start if you feel like something is wrong is to speak to an adult you can trust - someone who will listen, believe and help you.
The first person you talk to may not be the right person so it鈥檚 okay to keep telling other safe people in your life until you have been heard, believed, and someone helps you.
There are places in the community you can get help from if you don鈥檛 feel comfortable speaking to an adult you know. The best place to turn to depends on if:
You can chat to these services for free, and what you say is private. You don鈥檛 even have to tell them your name if you don鈥檛 want to.
You can talk to them about anything鈥攏o matter how big or small it seems.
You can make a complaint to us for different reasons. For example, if you think:
We can investigate and try to help solve it. Making a complaint is free and open to anyone anywhere in Australia. Find out more about how to make a complaint.
Rights and Freedoms
Firstly I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we stand and by so doing remind ourselves that Australia's cultural traditions stretch back many thousands of years. The acknowledgement also expresses our aspiration for a just and inclusive Australia for all.
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