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Business and Human Rights

Executive discretion in a time of COVID-19

Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have required very quick action by governments. But those responses have also involved significant limitations on people’s rights and freedoms, especially freedom of movement, and implemented through executive power often with limited parliamentary involvement.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Media Centre - Speeches

Media Centre - Speeches This section contains speeches from the Commissioners of the Australian Human Rights Commission. President and Human Rights Commissioner Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Age Discrimination Commissioner Disability Rights Commissioner Racial...

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

2009 Speech: Launch of Social Justice and Native Title Reports 2008

I begin by paying my respects to the Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation, the traditional owners of the land where we gather today. pay my respects to your elders, to the ancestors and to those who have come before us. And thank you, Allen Madden, for your generous welcome to country for all of us.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

The Integration of Customary Law into the Australian legal system

Good afternoon, I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Noongar people, the traditional owners and custodians of the land where we are gathered today, and pay my respects to their elders. I’d also like to acknowledge my distinguished fellow speakers. My presentation today is focused on customary law. I will refer to Aboriginal customary law, though the points that I will make are equally relevant to Torres Strait Islanders and to their distinct systems of law and governance.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Presentation to State and Local Government CEO's (2009)

It's a great pleasure for me to be back in Perth , and particularly here at the Association For The Blind. During the eighties and nineties I lived in Perth for around ten years. I met and married my wife here, and still have strong family links. We still own property here and, if I have my way, we'll retire back here. Despite the fact that I have lived over East now for 16 years, I still barrack for the Eagles and the Western Warriors, and pronounce the suburb Coogee rather than Coogee.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Providing Access to All

Some of us are women and some are men; some of us brought new names and accents in recent decades and some of us have Australian ancestry reaching back tens of thousands of years; and some of us have one or more disabilities.

Category, Speech
Sex Discrimination

It's Over to You

We all know why we're here today. You're here because men aren't seeing enough of their children, that after divorce they're lone fathers if they're lucky and cheque books on legs if things turn out badly. Sadly, there are some men who just disappear as dads altogether.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights: Universal and Inalienable

I'm very pleased to be speaking to you today. I'm especially encouraged that so many young people have put aside a weekend to think about, and talk about, human rights.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Building an Australia Fit for Children: Dr Sev Ozdowski (2001)

Keynote presentation delivered at the 8th National Conference of the Association for the Welfare of Child Health (AWCH) - "Children on the margin: addressing the health care needs of marginalised children and young people", 11 October 2001, Dr Sev Ozdowski

Category, Speech
Commission – General

President speeches: How to Proactively Manage Workplace Grievances

Ladies and Gentlemen I am very pleased to be at the Catholic Independent Schools Employment Relations Committee Conference. Occasions such as this one allow me, as President of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, to share with a very influential group my thoughts about how we can all better manage the complexity and diversity of today’s working environments.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

National Legal Aid Best practice Conference

I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna People, the traditional owners of the land on which we stand and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.

Category, Speech

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