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Children's Rights

Marist Youth Care

While I believe most Australians wish for children in this country an equal chance at life - an opportunity to not just survive but to thrive - and to be free from violence, abuse and neglect, it is, perhaps, less understood or acknowledged that this opportunity is also the right of every Australian child.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

96th NSW Teachers Federation Annual Conference

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. Some of you may recall that I addressed your conference 2 years ago and 2 years before that I spoke at your Council meeting. Obviously, this shows the enormous respect and admiration that I have for all of you as educators. But I think it also shows just how crucial I think that teachers are to progressing our human rights and social justice agenda.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

The Forgotten Freedoms – Freedom of Religion

It is a great pleasure to deliver a Blackfriars Lecture. A few weeks ago I gave a speech to the Sydney Institute outlining the approach I plan to take to human rights as the Federal Commissioner titled ‘The Forgotten Freedoms’. In this speech I outlined that I have concerns about the key freedoms of expression, worship, association and property rights. Reasserting them will be the focus of my tenure as Human Rights Commissioner.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

This budget could devastate Indigenous Australians

From cuts to youth welfare to the new Medicare co-payment, the budget will have a profound impact on Indigenous Australians. In an opinion piece published in The Drum, Mick Gooda asks: will the Federal Government speak to Aboriginal leaders before proceeding? I have spoken with many Aboriginal and...

Category, Opinion

Changing Hearts, Changing Minds

We all share a responsibility to lead cultural change for inclusion of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex. Building on the previous work of the Commission, I’ll be using my term as Human Rights Commissioner to ensure these issues are given national attention. It was an honour to be a keynote speaker at the Human Rights Forum of the Asia Pacific Outgames in Darwin.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

2014 WACOSS Conference

The title of this morning’s session is ‘Recognition of Aboriginal people in the Constitution and the possibility of Aboriginal advancement’. Without a doubt, I see constitutional recognition as a pathway for advancement. I have said again and again, that is it is a real nation building opportunity and the benefits will extend to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and non-Australians alike. It is a journey that will mark our maturity as an inclusive, just nation.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Australian Politics and Human Rights Lecture

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about politics and human rights. As you would know there is a lot of discussion about human rights in the political debate at the moment, which is a great thing because human rights is not something that many Australian’s feel is relevant to them.

Category, Speech
LGBTIQ+

SDA Amendments

Australian Public Service Human Rights Network

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Queensland Law Society Mandatory Sentencing Policy Paper Launch

Acknowledgements Thank you for your kind introduction. I would like to begin by acknowledging the Turrbal People, the traditional owners of the lands on which we are meeting today. I would also like to acknowledge: The Honourable Justice, Margaret McMurdo AC Queensland Law Society President, Ian...

Category, Speech

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