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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

We must keep striving to close the gap in Indigenous health

"Just in the last week, three of my closest friends and a relative have been diagnosed with cancer. This is not an uncommon story, to be – as a community – constantly in grief, loss and trauma." These words, from Janine Mohamed, chief executive of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait...

Category, Opinion
Rights and Freedoms

Charlie Hebdo V 18C: no contest

Charlie Hebdo would have risked being censored by the courts, but self-censorship is the reality of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Category, Opinion
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Engage with us, says Commissioner Gooda

It has been just over twelve months since Australia elected Tony Abbott as Prime Minister. It’s been a time of great expectations, anxieties and stress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australians. During the 2013 election campaign, Prime Minister Abbott pledged to be the nation’s first ‘Prime...

Category, Opinion
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 Launch

Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 Launch by Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

The government should fix two free-speech obstacles together: 35P and 18C

The Abbott government should correct the festering sores of 35P of National Security Legislation and 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act together. Since the passage of Section 35P of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill a number of journalists have decried the threat to free speech of...

Category, Opinion
Rights and Freedoms

Speak up out of respect for rights and culture

To advance human rights we need to promote a culture of respect for everyone exercising their choice and freedoms. On a day-to-day basis, human rights probably appear abstract for most Australians. The term often gets raised in discussion about how we are treating asylum seekers, or when we discuss...

Category, Opinion
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Nulungu Reconciliation Lecture

Acknowledgements Thank you for your kind welcome and can I reciprocate as I begin today by respecting the Yawuru, the traditional owners of Rubibi the place that is now known as Broome. I thank them for allowing me on their country. I salute the Elders who are here today, those that have gone before...

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

National Press Club address

(check against delivery) I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. I do so not as a formulaic beginning, but as a sincere recognition of the place which the land holds in the lives and culture of our first Australians. I saw much of the disadvantage Aboriginal people experience during my...

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
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Alcohol reform requires balanced approach - Opinion Piece

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, wrote in The Australian that the way to tackle alcohol abuse is to empower communities to make decisions about alcohol management that are reasonable, proportionate, and necessary.

Category, Opinion
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
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

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