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Disability Rights

Pathways to Employment

Thanks for the opportunity to speak to this conference today. You are embarking on this topic, in my view, at just the right time. Unemployment is the lowest it has been for over a decade. Our economy is strong and needing more employees, and our population is ageing, reducing the relative size of the workforce. In coming years, there will be fewer of us to support more of us, so as many people as possible need to be working and paying taxes rather than receiving welfare benefits. What better time to introduce employees with disabilities in larger numbers.

Commission – General

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I also thank Professor Barry Brook for his survey of the latest scientific assessments and forecasts on the impact of climate change on our planet. They are indeed alarming. The fact of climate change, and the rate of change, has become all too clear, even if there are still sceptics that wish to debate the causes. Our title reference to “Catastrophic Impacts” seems fully justified.

Sex Discrimination

Woman and savings

1. " ... there are 106,000 poor single women over 65 as compared with 40,000 men in this group in 2000" Senate Community Affairs References Committee A Hand up not a hand out: Renewing the fight against poverty: Report on poverty and financial hardship, Commonwealth of Australia 2004, p211. 2. C Brown- Conference Paper- Retirement Income Modeling Task Force- Joint project Treasury , Dept Finance and Dept Social Security, 1997 3. www.gradsonline.edu.au:- 2003 Graduate Destination Survey of graduates who completed their courses in 2002. 4.

Rights and Freedoms

GLBTI Human Rights Conference: Issues in the Asia Pacific Region

Many communities use sport as a way to build peer friendships, and enjoy favourite activities in an atmosphere which is safe and supportive. Some years ago- too many sadly- I enjoyed a bi-annual Australian cricket carnival played between teams of people who were blind or had low vision. This is exactly what is happening at these games, and I trust that the links and friendships built through the activities will be positive and long-standing ones, as they were for me.

Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights in Contemporary Australia: Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM (2001)

Despite its rather grand title, this presentation will be a relatively modest attempt to set out the key challenges for human rights in Australia as I see them at the outset of my term as Human Rights Commissioner. Let us begin with a quick survey of the state of human rights internationally and in Australia today.

Commission – General

Creating Fairness and Equality in the Workplace

It is now 12 months since the introduction of WorkChoices radically restructured Australia’s industrial relations system. Today, I propose to reflect on the implications of WorkChoices for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and to outline reforms HREOC believes are necessary to safeguard fairness and equality in the workplace.

Commission – General

Equality before the law

In the second century AD, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, thanked one of his brothers for teaching him to value "the conception of the state with one law for all, based upon individual equality and freedom of speech, and of a sovereignty which prizes above all things the liberty of the subject."1

Age Discrimination

Building a better cultural inheritance for an ageing Australia

Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO Age Discrimination Commissioner Keynote Address to National Press Club of Australia, Canberra Wednesday, 28 June, 2023 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Welcome Thank you Andrew Tillett (National Press Club Vice President) for your kind introduction. I am sometimes introduced...

Commission – General

Opinion Pieces Archive

The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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Good evening distinguished guests, my Indigenous brothers and sisters and non Indigenous friends. May I begin by acknowledging the Wurrundjeri People of the Kulin Nation on whose land we are meeting on tonight, and thank the dancers for cultural expression and your welcome to country. Thank you also to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson for your introduction, and to La Trobe University for inviting me to present this year’s Hyllus Maris Memorial Lecture. May I also acknowledge Ms Lois Peeler and the other family members of Hyllus Maris who are with us tonight.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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On 14 May 2002 the Attorney-General tabled the Social Justice Report 2001, my annual review of the exercise of human rights by Indigenous Australians, and the Native Title Report 2001, my annual review of native title developments, in federal Parliament.

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

The Disability Discrimination Act and the rights of people with disabilities

I recently returned from attending a United Nations meeting, where work is progressing on the development of an International Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Sex Discrimination

The Hidden Business Problem: Domestic Violence

Thank you, Bob, for that generous introduction and warm welcome. And thank you to G&T for hosting this event. I am so pleased to be able to join you this evening for this year’s Vincent Fairfax Speaker Series. I thought I might never make it – for the last two days I have had the privilege of being on-board the warship HMAS Sydney as it undertook war exercises offshore – part of my defence review. As my staff gradually hit the decks one after the other with sea sickness, I wondered whether arranging the sea visit to coincide with tonight’s event was a smart move.

Rights and Freedoms

"The local face of global justice policy": 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 and express our aspirations for Australians of the future to be socially just and inclusive.