News

Disability Rights

Innes: Towards a National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy

20 years ago today Kay Cottee sailed into Sydney Harbour, after spending 189 days as the first Australian, and the first woman, to circumnavigate the globe solo. As a sailor myself, I truly appreciate this epic achievement. When she set foot on land, she was asked how it felt to have conquered a man's world. "I was brought up to believe there is no such thing as a man's world or a woman's world" she said, "its everyone's world."

Disability Rights

Site navigation

Before I commence, on behalf of HREOC, I would like to thank ACE for the opportunity to discuss a national disability employment strategy and importantly the opportunity for multiple perspectives to be presented here today.

Disability Rights

Presentation toRound Table on Information Access For People with Print Disabilities

I've always had a yearning to be in the Guinness Book of Records, and so I decided, in preparation for today, to give the shortest presentation ever made by a staff member of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. My presentation thus consists of just seven letters: a question of 4 letters, and an answer of 3 letters. The question is SSDD, and the answer is DDA.

Disability Rights

Site navigation

Presentation to Ageing and Disability Department training workshop on Disability Action Plans Michael Small, Disability Rights Unit, HREOC. February 1999

Sex Discrimination

Human rights, Democracy and Women's Choices

Review a speech about human rights, democracy and women's choices delivered by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Pru Goward in Newcastle in 2002.

Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights in Contemporary AustraliaDr Sev Ozdowski (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.

Commission – General

President Speech: In the national interest: the promotion and protection of human rights

Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal peoples, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.

Commission – General

125th anniversary of the Law Society of South Australia.

Today, on its 125th anniversary, we celebrate the very considerable achievements of the Law Society of South Australia. This is an occasion to reflect on these past successes, to consider their present significance, and to think about the future.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Tobacco control and closing the gap

Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Chair of the Close the Gap Steering Committee for Indigenous Health Equality

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Site navigation

Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and acting Race Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

GARMA FESTIVAL PRESENTATION

OPENING THE DOOR: INVOLVING ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES IN SCHOOL EDUCATION GARMA FESTIVAL PRESENTATION TOM CALMA: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMISSIONER I would like to acknowledge the Yolngu people on whose land we are today. I would like to thank you and Charles Darwin University for inviting me to speak at this Garma festival where we celebrate the Yolngu culture and world view. It is relevant to be talking about culture in relation to education as culture and literacy go hand in hand; one augments the other.

Disability Rights

Education and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Des English Memorial Lecture

On 30 March 2007 I was waxing lyrical to my computer screen in Sydney. My words were not quite the same, but they had equal passion and determination. At 1.40 a.m. on that Saturday morning Sydney time, I was having a few glasses of wine and watching Australia line up with 80 other countries at the United Nations (UN) in New York, to sign that same Convention on the first day it was open for signature—via podcast to my computer screen. It was Friday New York time.

Disability Rights

Mental health and human rights in regional Australia in 2005

Mr Johnathon Ridnell, ABC Regional Radio Dr Maureen Rogers, Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities Fellow speakers Ladies and gentlemen

Disability Rights

Disability discrimination legislation in Australia from an international human rights perspective: History, achievements and prospects

I want to talk today about the relationship between the lofty principles of international law on human rights and the practical realities for people with a disability in Australia.

Commission – General

Reconciling human rights and counter-terrorism – a crucial challenge

I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the traditional country of the Girringun people and pay my respects to their elders past and present.