HREOC Annual Report 2003-2004 : Chapter 2: Human rights education and promotion

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Annual Report 2003 - 2004

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Chapter 2: Human rights education and promotion

A central function of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is to undertake education programs that increase public awareness and generate discussion of human rights and anti-discrimination issues within Australia.

The Commission's legislative responsibilities are:

1. To promote an understanding and acceptance of, and compliance with, the relevant Act:

   Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act section 11(1)(g)
   
   Racial Discrimination Act section 20(1)(b)
   
   Sex Discrimination Act section 48(1)(d)
   
   Disability Discrimination Act section 67(1) (g)
   
   Age Discrimination Act section 53(aa)

2. To undertake research and education programs for the purpose of promoting the objects of the relevant Act:

   Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act section 11(1)(h)
   
   Racial Discrimination Act section 20(1)(c)
   
   Sex Discrimination Act section 48(1)(e)
   
   Disability Discrimination Act section 67(1)(h)
   
   Age Discrimination Act section 53(ac)

Human rights education is also an international obligation which Australia has consistently supported. In the earliest international articulation of universal human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the General Assembly proclaimed:

every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect of these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance.

All work undertaken by the Commission has a human rights educative base, from the handling of individual complaints of discrimination or harassment to the conduct of National Inquiries which involve important human right issues, such as the detention of children in immigration detention.

Education and communications strategy

The Commission uses a range of strategies to communicate its key human rights messages to the community including:

• Regular media engagement by the President and Commissioners with metropolitan, regional and specialist press, radio and television outlets.
• The Commissioners and staff holding consultations with a range of peak bodies, community groups, NGOs, parliamentarians, business and industry groups, academics and government officers.
• The development of an extensive and accessible website which provides human rights education materials for individuals, students, teachers, employers, government and community groups.
• Curriculum-linked human rights education materials for teachers and students.
• Preparation and distribution of plain English publications on human rights and discrimination.
• Organisation of promotional events such as the annual Human Rights Awards.

Specific human rights educational and promotional programs conducted by individual Commissioners are detailed later in this Report.

Media engagement

The Commission's communication strategies are based on the necessity to target all Australians wherever they live and whatever their background, age, or gender. The Commission uses the mainstream and specialist media to disseminate human rights messages, and works with peak business and community groups in the development and delivery of messages. The Commission also provides human rights education materials for schools direct to teachers via the Commission electronic mailing listserve.

Engagement with the media is a crucial aspect of the Commission's public education function. Wherever possible the Commission engages in public debate via the print and electronic media to provide substantial information to the public, and directly to journalists and editors.

The Commission also uses community announcements and niche or specialist media such as ethnic and Indigenous radio and press, as well as country and regional media outlets to provide general information on the work of the Commission and of the Commissioners.

There were over 2 550 media enquiries to Public Affairs during 2003-04, including over 600 media interviews arranged for the President and Commissioners.

In the past year, the Commission has issued 89 media releases and alerts, and the President and Commissioners have had over 20 opinion pieces and articles on a range of topics published in major newspapers throughout Australia.

In the past year, Commissioners have contributed to public debate on human rights and discrimination issues including refugees and asylum seekers, racial vilification and discrimination, Indigenous social justice, native title, sex discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, paid maternity leave and other equity issues, disability discrimination and advances in accessibility for people with a disability and on changes to legislation that may affect people's human rights.

The Commission also promotes the Human Rights Medal and Awards, which include a category to recognise an outstanding contribution to human rights through the print media, radio or television.

The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Pru Goward, was the focus of significant media interest throughout the year, particularly on paid maternity leave, work/family balance, pay equity, child custody and proposed amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA).

The Commissioner also did a range of media interviews on the release of a package of materials on workplace sexual harassment, the 20th anniversary of the SDA, Stop the Traffic II Conference on sex trafficking, the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Teaching Profession) Bill 2004 and exemptions to the SDA for the Catholic Education Office.

There was also substantial media interest in the launch of the Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention and the public launches which were held in all Australian states.

Human Rights Commissioner, Dr Ozdowski, did a range of media interviews following the release of the Report after its tabling in federal Parliament and also around the 10 June deadline for the removal of all children from immigration detention.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Dr Bill Jonas, launched his 2003 Social Justice and Native Title reports at public events throughout Australia which outlined an agenda for change for Indigenous policy. Indigenous speakers at the launches included Senator Aden Ridgeway and Professor Larissa Behrendt, who discussed the future of reconciliation, self determination and the issues raised in the reports. There was media coverage of most of the launches by print media, radio and television.

Dr Jonas also launched the summary Report of Isma - Listen: National consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians with launches throughout Australia, which attracted considerable media interest.

Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski and Deputy Commissioner Graeme Innes made statements to the media on a range of disability issues including: the release of a draft Premises Standard, Education Standards, changes to Transport Standards, improved access to interpreting services for deaf people in medical consultations and a new pay TV captioning plan.

The Youth Challenge program for students on 'Tackling Sexual Harassment in your school' received constant media promotion. Commissioner Goward presented at the Brisbane, Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra programs, and the President presented at the Darwin and Adelaide programs. Both did a range of media interviews on the program and the issue of sexual harassment in schools.

The new audio-visual resource titled 'Pathways to resolution: The conciliation process of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission' received wide media attention at launches in Sydney and Melbourne.

Public Affairs developed promotional material and media packs for educational writers, education editors, specialist teaching publications and internet magazines for a range of Commission educational resources including: Face the Facts, Bringing them home, Youth Challenge and Children in Immigration Detention Report.

The Commission also issued statements about the HREOC Bill, SDA Amendments Bill, age discrimination, welcoming the new chair of UN Commission on Human Rights, Internet forum on Australian South Sea Islanders, and the new Indigenous legal advocacy courses to name a few.

Community consultations

Community consultations are an important part of the Commission's human rights education program and provide a valuable two-way exchange of information. The President, Commissioners and their staff met with a very wide range of peak bodies, community groups, NGOs, parliamentarians, business and industry groups, academics and government officers during the year.

A range of these consultations are detailed below:

• The Human Rights Commissioner and staff conducted over 115 meetings and made approx. 60 speeches during 2003-04. These included community information and feedback consultations, pursuant to the parliamentary tabling of 'A last resort?', in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs, Hobart and Launceston.
• Throughout the year the Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and staff have conducted over 80 meetings and made approx. 30 speeches. The Commissioner has maintained regular contact with a range of industry bodies, including the financial services industry, TV and cinema organisations, local government and educational institutions. The unit has also continued regular meetings with representatives from peak and state/territory disability advocacy groups.
• The Sex Discrimination Commissioner and staff were involved in approximately 55 meetings and made 100 speeches during 2003-04. These consultations have been with, community organisations and activists, academics, employers and employer groups, unions and Commonwealth Government officers.
• The Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner and staff held national consultations with Arab and Muslim Australians as part of the Ismae ~ Project throughout 2003. Over 1,400 people participated in 69 consultations in all states and territories around Australia between April and November 2003.
• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and staff conducted community workshops on Indigenous rights which were convened in each state and territory, including the Torres Strait, and were attended by approximately 250 people. Community forums were also held on support services for Indigenous women exiting prison in each state and territory, excluding Tasmania, and were attended by approximately 150 people from government departments, community-based organisations and academia.
• The Social Justice Commissioner and staff consulted with the National Native Title Tribunal, Federal Court, Native Title Representative Bodies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, federal Attorney-General's Department, state and territory departments and mining companies on the operation of the Native Title Act 1993, as well as with native title holders and claimants.

Commission website - www.humanrights.gov.au

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's (HREOC) website is a major educative tool and is used widely by government, legal, community and employer organisations, the media, schools and individuals to obtain information about human rights and responsibilities and anti-discrimination law and practice.

The Commission's website is maintained to ensure that the most up-to-date information is posted daily, and all reports, submissions, media releases and other Commission publications are available online.

Web resources include an online complaints form and useful information for complainants and respondents, a range of useful human rights education resources, information for employers, the legal section (which provides full details of HREOC legislation and other legal issues), and information on the work of the Commission's President and Commissioners.

Major additions and improvements in 2003-04

• Isma Summary Report published online. This mini-site includes a range of useful audio resources in both Arabic and English for use by the community.
• A last resort? The Report of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention published online. Additional resources including a Summary Guide, Media Pack and audio statements were also published.
• Sexual Harassment in the Australian Workplace website published online. This site is designed to provide both employers and employees with important information on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.
• Useful online information sheets published including: The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, The Complaints Guide and Social Justice and Human Rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
• Face the Facts 2003 published online, including HTML and Text only versions and PDF for download options.
• Human Rights Medal and Awards website published to promote HREOC's annual Human Rights Awards competition.
• National Legal Advocacy Courses mini-site published online - including course information and license application forms for educational institutions to download.
• A range of useful information sheets in the Complaints Information Section including:
  • Complaints under the Sex Discrimination Act
  • Complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act
  • Complaints under the Racial Discrimination Act
  • Complaints under the Age Discrimination Act
  • Know your rights: human rights and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act
  • Complaints about discrimination in employment under the HREOCA
  • Reporting process for complaints about human rights breaches
  • The HREOCA reporting process for complaints about discrimination in employment or occupation
• A range of useful human rights education resources published online including:
  • Bringing them home: Learning about the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families
  • Face the Facts: Questions and Answers about Refugees, Migrants and Indigenous Peoples
  • Celebrate Human Rights Day - 10 December
• Online publication of a range of HREOC reports and publications including:
  • Social Justice Report 2003
  • Native Title Report 2003
  • Federal Discrimination Law 2004
  • Change and Continuity: Review of the Federal Unlawful Discrimination Jurisdiction
  • Dispute resolution in the changing shadow of the law: a study of parties' views on the conciliation process in federal anti-discrimination law
• Publication of a range of speeches and other presentations by the HREOC President and Commissioners
• Publication of a range of submissions made by the HREOC President and Commissioners
• A range of updates and improvement to the structure and navigation of the site have been made in response to feedback received from users via HREOC's 2003 Website Users Survey, which received approximately 500 responses.

Electronic mailing lists and feedback facility

The Commission's email-based electronic mailing list service provides for regular communications to all constituency groups, including community and government. There are currently more than 21 161 subscribers across 10 different lists, which is a 50% increase from the number of subscribers last year:

Mailing list	Number of subscribers
Complaints and Legal Information	1 867
Disability Rights Update	1 891
Human Rights Awards Alert	1 510
Human Rights Education	4 198
Human Rights	2 215
Indigenous Issues	1 781
Media Mailing List	696
Priority Mailing List	2 171
Race Discrimination	1 609
Sex Discrimination	2 223
Total subscribers	21 161

Further information about HREOC's electronic mailing list service is available at: www.humanrights.gov.au/mailing_lists.

Statistics

The Commission uses a web statistics system which tracks the number of visitors the site has and how visitors are using the site. This allows the Commission to identify materials that are particularly successful or popular and where we have room for improvement.

Usage of the site has increased over the year with approximately 4 392 429 page views on the server during 2003-04. This equates to approximately 39 531 861 hits on the site in total.

A summary of statistical information is provided below:

Section	Home/Index page views	Section page views
HREOC Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au	293 342	n/a
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice	76 626	426 997
Complaints Information www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints_information	24 658	94 816
Disability Rights Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights	57 869	586 687
Human Rights Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights	45 406	585 067
Legal Info Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/legal	19 518	105 675
Racial Discrimination Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination	52 119	329 039
Sex Discrimination Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/sex_discrimination	79 549	360 447
Information for Employers Homepage https://humanrights.gov.au/education/employers	19 951	59 661
Publications Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/publications	19 120	25 644
Media Releases Index www.humanrights.gov.au/media_releases	24 768	371 059
Job Vacancies Homepage www.humanrights.gov.au/jobs	30 166	39 780
Human Rights Education Resources	n/a	466 499

Website feedback

The Commission's feedback facility allows users to request help with research and provide constructive feedback on the Commission's online resources and site accessibility. Thousands of messages have been received from legal, government, community and employer organisations, the media, schools and individuals during the year and are responded to by Commission staff within five working days.

Human rights education for teachers and students

The Commission's formal education strategy is aimed at teachers and school students and is conducted by way of workshops and online web materials and activities. The human rights education materials are developed in conjunction with experience curriculum developers to provide teachers with a range of teaching materials which are linked to the curricula of each state and territory education system. In this way teachers can use the materials in the context of the particular subject area they are required to teach. Teaching strategies, activities and links to useful resources are all supplied as part of the resources.

The information about the materials is then disseminated directly to teachers by way of e-mail list serve messages. Some 4 000 teachers subscribe to the Commission's electronic mailing list. Direct and continuing contact with teachers to assist and help them link the material directly to curricula, which vary from state to state, are crucial aspects of the strategy.

From 1998 to 2000, the Commission conducted a series of Youth Challenge Human Rights Human Values one-day workshops all over Australia. These workshops brought together thousands of young Australians, human rights leaders and community representatives to explore human rights principles and practices and how they impact on social change and upon their own lives and the lives of others in the community. The issues covered included race, sex and disability discrimination in schools and in the wider community.

The workshops were for secondary school students and teachers and were supported by education materials which were curriculum-linked and distributed to all Secondary Schools in Australia. These materials were then converted into the online education modules under the banner of Youth Challenge.

On-line human rights education modules

In 2001, the Commission developed and published the first online human rights education program for teachers of primary and secondary students by way of human rights education modules for teachers. The program incorporated the Human Rights Human Values workshop materials and renamed the online modules Youth Challenge.

The program focuses on the learning needs of all students and includes materials about international instruments and domestic laws, which are presented in a user friendly and relevant manner for students.

This teaching approach is cross-curricular, which means teachers can tailor the education materials to a variety of subjects. The materials produced are relevant to all aspects of learning, including numeracy and visual literacy.

The modules are skills-oriented and provide materials which allow the students to go through the decision-making processes and come to their own conclusions about human rights and discrimination issues. They allow students, regardless of their learning styles/abilities, to participate.

With Youth Challenge, students focus on real life issues such as sex, race and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and rights in the workplace. It encourages students to explore the relevance of human rights to their own experiences and communities.

The online program is broken into three distinct units:

1. Unit 1: Human Rights in the Classroom.
2. Unit 2: Doug and Disability Discrimination.
3. Unit 3: Young People in the Workplace.

Using video material, stories and exercises, the materials draw on a range of skills, including: research, literacy, discussion, decision making and role playing.

Youth Challenge offers secondary school teachers a resource that is flexible and comprehensive. The materials can be used across many curricular areas including History, English, Civics/Citizenship, Legal Studies, and Studies of Society and Environment. The site provides teaching strategies, guides and worksheets that are easy to access.

56 028 users accessed Youth Challenge during the last financial year.

Youth Challenge Program

Youth Challenge workshops with a focus on sexual harassment in schools recommenced in September 2003 and continued till May 2004. They were accompanied by curriculum linked education materials and videos, and held in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Northern Territory and ACT.

Every Secondary School in Australia received a 12-page article 'Tackling Sexual Harassment in Schools' education resource by way of Studies Magazine during August 2003. Studies is a privately produced education resource produced by Ryebuck Media who are consultants for the Commission in the presentation of the Youth Challenge workshops.

Ten workshops were conducted all over Australia, 643 students, and 96 teachers from 50 schools attended the workshops. Evaluations from the workshops show that 50% of students and teachers judged the program as excellent: 40% judged it as very good: 5.5% as good with less than 1% judging it as poor.

Tackling Sexual Harassment in Schools materials are being converted into online teachers resources and will become Unit 4 of an updated Youth Challenge program to be released in September 2004.

Information for Teachers website

In May 2002, the Commission launched an Information for Teachers portal. Youth Challenge materials are included as part of this portal. The section is regularly updated to provide teachers with the most recent quality materials. The aim is to directly assist teachers design their lessons across many subjects. For instance, the subject matter may be used to stimulate a current affairs debate, or as subject for a drama, English or a history lesson.

This section has proved very popular with teachers with 147 931 users accessing the section during 2003-04.

The portal is the online framework for the Commission human rights education program. It contains:

1. Education Modules

• Youth Challenge: Teaching Human Rights and Responsibilities.
• Bringing them home: Learning about the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children From Their Families.
• Face the Facts: Questions and Answers about Refugees, Migrants and Indigenous Peoples.
• Celebrate Human Rights Day: Activities for Human Rights Day, 10 December.
• Paid Maternity Leave: Activities on Gender and the Workplace.
• Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence: Activities linking the film to the National Inquiry.
• Children in Immigration Detention: Learning about the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention.

2. Curriculum links documents for each of the education modules which links with the States and Territories educational curricula.

3. National and International human rights education resource collection.

4. HR Education Mailing List: an electronic mailing list with monthly updates.

Bringing them home - Learning about the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families

This module which is based on the findings and recommendations contained in Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families was launched on 10 December 2004. It provides a history of the forcible separation of Indigenous children from their families and other polices and laws which have impacted on the lives of Indigenous Australians. It also provides a well researched update on how governments and the community have responded to the report's recommendation since it was released in 1997. The resources are for both Junior (Yrs 6-8) and Senior (Yrs 9-11) students.

The aim of the module is to present reliable information and resources for young people so that they may ask questions, analyze, debate and finally draw their own conclusions. There is a major focus on literacy and comprehension skills. This is an interactive resource which has been designed using cutting-edge technologies (including Flash) and is available online or on CD-Rom.

10 000 Bringing them home postcards (with order details on the reverse side) were distributed to all schools, national, state, higher education and community libraries and 3 000 copies of the CD-Rom were distributed following the receipt of orders.

From December 2003 to June 2004, 91 341 users have accessed this module.

Feedback from Education Departments

• Department of Education, Science and Training in Queensland promoted the Bringing them home education module to teachers of Aboriginal and Australian studies throughout the state.
• Board of Studies, NSW have included links to the Bringing them home education module in their History Curriculum Frameworks (Year 7-10).
• South Australian Catholic Education Office are distributing copies of the Bringing them home CD-Rom to all Catholic schools in their state.

Additionally, professional organisations including the Australian Association for the Teaching of English (particularly the ACT branch - ACTATE); the Victorian Association of Social Studies Teachers and the Australian Literacy Educators Association have been active in promoting the resource to their members.

Facts the Facts education module

This education module was released July 2003 to accompany the updated version of Face the Facts. The activities in this module link to a range of key learning areas in relation to the prevailing myths concerning immigration, refugees and asylum seekers and Indigenous peoples.

The resource is for junior and senior high school students across all states and territories. Teaching notes, students activities and worksheets will be provided, plus a range of recommended resources for further reading.

66 151 users have accessed the Face the Facts module to June 30 2004.

Electronic mailing list

The Commission send each month to over 4 000 self-subscribed educators a monthly update:

• A link to the most recent set of human rights education activities.
• Reviews and links to human rights education resources.
• Reviews of particular sections of the commission's website which are useful for educators.
• A list of upcoming human rights education events.

Links with teacher networks

The Commission has established links with a number of educators' networks. We are also contacted by these networks for resource support, cross hyperlinking and to give presentations at conferences. The Commission also works to include links to our program on other websites. In particular, the national online education resource, EdNA Online, regularly features information on our education program.

Information for Students web pages

This section of the Commission's website developed in 1998-99 (and will be updated during 2004) was designed to inform students about human rights and provides links to other websites for students. The web usage statistics for this section shows 45 073 people accessed this section during 2003-04.

A further section for Tertiary students called 'Human Rights Explained' was published on the web in 1998 and remains one of the most accessed sections of the HREOC website, with 42 471 page views in 2003-04. This will also be updated during 2004-05.

Commission publications

In addition to all Commission publications being made available on the Commission's website, around 89 000 publications were dispatched in hard copy format during 2003-04.

The most popular publications were Face the Facts: Some Questions and Answers about Immigration, Refugees and Indigenous Affairs, Know your rights under the DDA brochure, A last resort? Summary Guide to the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention and Sexual Harassment: Knowing your Rights brochure.

A list of publications released during 2003-04 can be found at Appendix 2 of this Report.

2003 Human Rights Medal and Awards

The Human Rights Medal and Awards were established in 1987 to recognise individuals and organisations who have made a significant contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and equal opportunity in Australia.

The 2003 Human Rights Medal and Awards presentation ceremony was held on 10 December 2003 at a luncheon at the Sheraton on the Park Hotel in Sydney. The Human Rights Day address was delivered by HREOC President, the Hon. John von Doussa QC, Julie McCrossin was the MC.

The Commission is very grateful for the services of the judging panels who give their time and expertise on an honorary basis. The 2003 judges were: Steve Ahern, Jack Beetson, Justice Catherine Branson, Nicholas Cowdery QC, Andrea Durbach, Cath Dwyer, Alastair Feehan, Greg Heesom, Professor Marilyn Lake, Debbie Lee, Stephen Long, Justice Ruth McColl, Peter Mares, Rachel Morris, Andy Nehl, Sandra Phillips, Michael Raper, Michael Simpson, Tony Stephens, Chris Uhlmann and Hewitt Whymann.

Information on the 2003 winners can be found below and on the Commission's website at: www.humanrights.gov.au/hr_awards/2003.html

Human Rights Medal

Winner: Marion Le

Refugee and asylum seeker advocate Marion Le has worked consistently and effectively in promoting human rights for over three decades. President of the Indo-China Refugees Association for over 10 years, Ms Le visits the refugee camps of Thailand and Malaysia and Australian detention centres, working to promote long-term durable solutions to the problems of the dispossessed of famine and war.

Her work has resulted in the successful settlement of hundreds of refugees and migrants into the Australian community. As a teacher of 30 years experience Ms Le was responsible for introducing programs into schools that raise issues of multiculturalism, human rights and social justice.

The judges were impressed by her outstanding contribution to the advancement of human rights in Australia. They said 'She has given so much of herself in a voluntary capacity to individuals and families, and has applied the lessons of those experiences to seek broader systemic solutions in policy and legislation. She has provided help to many and acted as an example to many more; she has not only spoken out but she has acted, consistently and courageously, to make human rights a reality in the lives of so many.'

Law Award - sponsored by the Law Council of Australia

Winner: Justice Edward Mullighan

Since the early nineties, Justice Mullighan, a Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia, has been actively promoting cultural awareness amongst the judiciary and magistracy in South Australia and has supported innovation in the sentencing of Aboriginal defendants. He has chaired the cultural awareness committee of the court since 1995. This committee has managed seminars, and community justice workshops through which cultural awareness within the judiciary is promoted.

In 1997, he instigated a Law and Justice Conference which was hosted by the traditional communities of the Anangu Pitantjatjara Yankunyjatara (APY) Lands, bringing together Aboriginal law men and a group of judges and magistrates. He has advocated for Aboriginal court interpreters and has promoted models of restorative and community justice.

Justice Mullighan has been active in nominating Aboriginal Justices of the Peace and has examined traditional Aboriginal ways of dealing with offending behaviours. He has championed Aboriginal Reconciliation among his peers and within the general South Australian community.

Community Award

Winner: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Australia's largest asylum seeker aid, health and advocacy organisation, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, was chosen for the 2003 Community Award due to the breadth and volume of their work and the day-to-day practical assistance provided to asylum seekers. They are a registered charity with no government funding. The service has three paid staff and over 250 volunteers that work in partnership with asylum seekers.

Since opening in June 2001, they have assisted more than 2000 asylum seekers from over 80 countries and have provided a welfare and advocacy service valued at approximately $10 million. They opened Victoria's first health service for asylum seekers and provided medical care to about 200 asylum seekers who have no Medicare. In addition, the Centre provided direct financial aid of over $100,000 to asylum seekers, as well as food parcels. They also established Victoria's first employment service for asylum seekers, as well as a range of other services including home tutoring and playgroups.

Arts Non-Fiction Award

Winner: Dark Victory, David Marr and Marian Wilkinson

Dark Victory, by David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, drew attention to the political motivations - and the human cost - of the Tampa crisis and the 'children overboard' affair, which generated so much coverage in the lead-up to the last federal election.

With Dark Victory, Marr and Wilkinson sought to dig behind the headlines and worked with tenacity to uncover 'new and impressive research, covering all aspects of the events, by interviewing the people involved and gaining access to FOI documents'. In doing so they also 'displayed a genuine humanity and compassion to the people at the centre of these events - the asylum seekers.' According to the judges, Dark Victory was "a phenomenal achievement and a genuine page-turner".

Television Award

Winner: About Woomera, Four Corners, ABC Television - Debbie Whitmont and Jo Puccini

About Woomera has been widely commended as a ground-breaking investigation of conditions inside the Woomera Detention Centre. The program was the product of more than a hundred interviews with staff, detainees and bureaucrats over the past two years.

Judges described the program as 'outstanding' and 'touching', as it took an issue in our society, researched and investigated it in a unique way, which encouraged public debate. It dominated talkback radio and editorials throughout the country - causing changes in community attitudes. Its contents were used in evidence in the first successful application to the Family Court for the release of five children from detention.

Radio Award

Winner: The Place You Cannot Imagine: A Family and Detention in Australia, Radio Eye, ABC Radio National - Lea Redfern and Phillip Ulman

The Place You Cannot Imagine: A Family and Detention in Australia is an evocative and hauntingly produced piece of radio. It follows the story of Gyzele Osmani, an Albanian woman who fled Kosovo in 1999 with her husband and five young children.

They came to Australia but were placed in Port Hedland Detention Centre after refusing to return to East Kosovo, which they believed was still unsafe for them.

According to the judges, it is a humanising story that "avoids the trap of stereotyping by examining the life of this one woman and her family". It is the story of a mother watching her children grow up behind bars, with little control over their education, safety and health care. The judges were impressed not only with the themes in the story, but also by the quality of the radio craft which was displayed in telling that story.

Print Media Award

Winner: Series of articles on the sex trafficking trade in Australia - Natalie O'Brien and Elisabeth Wynhausen, The Australian

A series of articles on the sex trafficking trade in Australia by Natalie O'Brien and Elizabeth Wynhausen from The Australian newspaper was described by the judges as "a standout winner". It began with the inquest into the death of a young Thai woman inside Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. Her case prompted a series of news reports by O'Brien and Wynhausen which aimed to reveal the extent and nature of sex slavery in Australia; expose the lack of official action over sex slave traffickers; and, in the process, to highlight the gross human rights abuses suffered by the trafficked women and girls.

The O'Brien/Wynhausen disclosures soon revealed that the Thai woman was one of many trafficked into Australia every year for the sex industry. They wrote more than 35 stories on sex trafficking issues over six months in The Australian from March to September 2003. The judges chose this entry for "the writers' tenacity, for staying with it when all others had given up . . . and above all for the result . . . it placed increased pressure on the government and led to a change in laws".

19 November 2004