News

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Launch of Ros Kidd's 'Black lives, government lies' (2nd edition)

Dr Kidd has made an enormously valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of relations between Indigenous peoples in Queensland and government. Because of her commitment and tenacity in obtaining access to, and then exposing the contents of, government records about the administration of Indigenous peoples' lives, we now know far more about the precise details, the extent and the nature of the control exercised by governments in Queensland over the lives of Indigenous peoples over the past 100 years than we otherwise would.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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The ultimate conclusion that the Commission has reached in the submission is that the Commonwealth government's response to the recommendations of Bringing them home to date has been inadequate and inappropriate. The Commission particularly notes that the government's submission to this inquiry constitutes a fresh response to many of the recommendations of Bringing them home, which rejects several recommendations of the report on the basis of flawed arguments and poor reasoning.

Disability Rights

Equality by degrees

I'm honoured to give this address. I completed my law degree at this university, and well remember the December day in 1977 when I received it. It was the culmination of four years of hard work, experiencing the pleasures and trials of campus life, and acquiring - as well as a reasonable amount of legal knowledge - a much broader appreciation of the world around me, warts and all.

Disability Rights

The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: where are we?

I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal people, in whose language Canberra means meeting place as you probably know.

Disability Rights

Gov2.0 Roundtable on Accessibility for People with Disabilities (2009)

Last year a blind colleague of mine decided he needed a pet dog to be company for him and his teenage daughter. After checking various pet rescue websites and talking to various people, he found an 18-month-old German Shepherd / red Cattle dog cross that this bloke was giving away. He even brought the dog over in his car.

Disability Rights

Innes: ‘Signing up'

Graeme Innes AM, Human Rights Commissioner and Commissioner Responsible for Disability Discrimination Deafness Forum Conference, Canberra, 24 May 2008.

Disability Rights

Advancing human rights of children and young people with disabilities

I was around as head of the then Disability Advisory Council of Australia back in the late 80s and early 90s when ACROD and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission worked together on a discussion paper and consultation process to identify and pursue areas of increased need for human rights protection for people with disabilities.

Disability Rights

Presentation to Productivity Commission DDA review hearing

We would like to begin by emphasising the limited role of discrimination law - that is, we agree to some extent with comments by ACCI that equality cannot be achieved solely by providing stronger antidiscrimination legal provisions.

Disability Rights

6th National Deafblind Conference

Almost every day there seems to be some new development in information and communications technology. Technologies which did not exist a few years ago are now worth many billions of dollars each year in economic activity.

Disability Rights

1996 Kenneth Jenkins Oration

I am honoured and delighted to be here to deliver the Kenneth Jenkins Oration. My participation continues the involvement of members of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission with this event.

Race Discrimination

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Centuries ago a great many of the inhabitants of this beautiful island were wiped out by colonization and its aftermath. The disappearance of so many is a solemn reminder of the injustice done to the first peoples of this land. Their violent absence is a presence that calls for us to reflect on injustices, suffering and reconciliation in the broadest sense. To them I pay my respects.

Legal

Law Seminar 2008: Homelessness and Human Rights by Sue Cripps

Paper presented at the Homelessness and Human Rights Seminar Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 12.30 – 2pm, Monday 7 August 2008 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW

Rights and Freedoms

Police Checks - A Human Rights perspective

Acknowledgments I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. I'd also like to thank the Aged and Community Services Association for inviting me to speak about police checks today. Introduction I suspect the average person in the street associates police checks with high-security jobs, such as airport security, or, on the other hand, with jobs working closely with children. However, police checks are required for an increasing number and variety of occupations and industries in Australia, including those providing aged and community services.

Rights and Freedoms

"HUMAN RIGHTS: A REPORT CARD FOR AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA": DR SEV OZDOWSKI OAM (2004)

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.

Rights and Freedoms

"Monitoring Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: challenges for Australia: Dr Sev Ozdowski (2002)

Thank you Mr Wishardt for your invitation and kind introduction. I would like also to acknowledge Ms Wendy McCarthy, under whose stewardship PLAN is sure to go from strength to strength.