Rights of children in schools: a human rights perspective on behaviour
Read a speech by the Children's Commissioner that highlights the importance of including the views of students when defining the rights of children.
Read a speech by the Children's Commissioner that highlights the importance of including the views of students when defining the rights of children.
Keynote speech to Asian Studies Association of Australia Annual Conference, “AsiaScapes: Contesting Borders”
1. Introduction and Acknowledgements Good morning everyone and thank you to Claire for the introduction. Before I begin I too would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we gather on today; the Ngunnawal people and pay respects to elders past and present. I would also like to thank...
Friends, today marks the three year anniversary of when the western system, through the Federal Court, recognised the Quandamooka system by acknowledging you as the owners of this land.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It is a real pleasure to be here in Brisbane and to speak to so many people who are all committed to the protection of children and young people across Australia.
In coming here today, we celebrate 40 years of hard work and dedication by the Network of Community Activities, to the promotion of children’s rights in Australia.
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.
I’ve been asked here today to speak briefly about gender equality in workplaces and about the National Review on Discrimination Related to Pregnancy, Parental Leave and Return to Work, which I am currently conducting.
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.
Address to the National Press Club, Canberra
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