Rights and Freedoms
Freedom of speech is alive and well in Australia but, with respect to Voltaire, we will not defend to the death those who abuse this right by vilifying others in public on the ground of race.
Rights and Freedoms
The proposed anti-discrimination law has critics, but it delivers a balanced package. If the release of the exposure draft of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 was intended to stimulate public discussion about an important reform initiative, it has clearly done what it set out to do.
The Human Rights Day Oration was delivered by James Spigelman, Chairman of the ABC and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW from 1998 until 2011. His keynote speech tackled the topical issue of ‘Where do we draw the line between hate speech and free speech?’
Disability Rights
Graeme Innes at the book launch for Indigo Wallace's book, Indigo Solves the Puzzle
Disability Rights
Australia Post Action Plan Launch Graeme Innes AM Disability Discrimination Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Monday 3 December 2012 I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today. I also wish you all a happy International Day of People with Disability. Sarah -...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Mick Gooda Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Australian Human Rights Commission Sydney Friday 30 November 2012 It is with respect and gratitude that I acknowledge that we sit on the lands of the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation...
Disability Rights
Australian Association of Graduate Employers Conference Graeme Innes AM Disability Discrimination Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Friday 16 November 2012 I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today. Can you - as an employer - discriminate in favour of...
Disability Rights
Both men acquired their disabilities 20 years ago. Neither of them work, nor do they have daily activities, or relationships with people outside their family.
Disability Rights
For people who are blind or vision impaired, watching ABC TV has been a much richer experience lately. Unfortunately, that is about to change, writes Graeme Innes.
Disability Rights
Thanks for the chance to speak with you today, and to have the opportunity for discussion. Who was Rosa Parks? She was the African-American who, in the 1960s - yes back in the last century - refused to sit at the back of the bus. She was one of the catalysts for the American civil rights movement.
Disability Rights
Keynote Address Blind Citizens Australia, NSW/ACT State Convention on 'Leadership Through Participation' Graeme Innes AM Disability Discrimination Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Saturday 20 October, 2012 This speech is available as an audio file (MP3). Click here to listen to the...
Commission – General
Speech delivered to the Anglo-Australasian Lawyers Society
Disability Rights
Alan used to work as a civil engineer, and is a trombone player with two orchestras and two bands. He has competed in the Australian Band Championships for the last three years. He sold his soils laboratory to 'retire', and has never looked back. He still works part-time in soil testing, but as well as trombone playing he is a volunteer in a Rotary shop, walks 30-40 kilometers weekly, won a silver medal in the 10 km Road Race in the Australian Masters Games 2012, and completed a novel for pre-teens called 'Alex', designed to raise awareness about healthy lifestyles.
Disability Rights
I'm a proud Australian. We live in a great democracy, with one of the strongest economies in the world. I'm not proud, though, of how we treat Australians with disability- some of our most disadvantaged citizens. And we are all ashamed that, in such a strong nation, that treatment continues. This shame can no longer continue. So let's fix the system. Let's have an NDIS so that not some, but every Australian counts. Thanks for the chance to speak with you today.
Disability Rights
Australia became a party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. The rest of the world refers to it by the unappealing acronym of CRPD, or the Disability Convention, but I like to refer to it as the Disco. It's catchy, and it creates a great image for me of people with disability dancing, and being to go anywhere they want - although I haven't been inside a disco for many a long year.
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