Commission – General
Malcolm Fraser was a towering figure in human rights. I greatly respected his compassion and respect for all human beings. I have known Malcolm for 40 years. He was always generous with his time and demonstrated a great ability to resolve difficult issues. He loved to tell stories about his days in...
Disability Rights
To begin, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are meeting. I pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Elders from other communities who may be here today. Thank you for inviting me to speak at the 6th National Disability Summit.
Children's Rights
THE running of the Australian Marriage Forum (AMF) advertisement on television last weekend to coincide with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade can only be described as pointless and cruel. This anti-same sex marriage message deliberately seeks to undermine the thousands of healthy gay...
Sex Discrimination
Increasing women’s workforce participation: Barriers and solutions from the G20 and beyond -Governments of Australia, Japan and Turkey Side Event, Commission on the Status of Women, 59th Session,
LGBTIQ+
On Sunday night, the Australian Marriage Forum (AMF) broadcast an advertisement against marriage for same-sex couples. The advertisement was scheduled to be broadcast on Channels 7, 9 and SBS. The AMF advertisement argued that same-sex couples should not be able to marry under the law, because...
Rights and Freedoms
Behind human rights is the still revolutionary idea that every human being is free and equal, that individuals own their own bodies and should be free to pursue their lives, opportunities and enterprise. Human rights provide the foundation for our liberal democracy, our market economy and our civil...
Commission – General
Check against delivery Keynote Address - Australian Corporate Lawyers Association Corporate Good morning and thank you for your warm introduction. I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet – the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and their elders past and present...
Children's Rights
Children and young people as complainants Complaint Handlers’ Information Sharing and Liasion (CHISaL) Seminar Introduction Good afternoon everyone and thank you Sandra for the introduction. I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to...
Commission – General
(Check against delivery, 24 February 2015) The Report of the Commission’s Inquiry into the impact of immigration detention on children, The Forgotten Children , has now been tabled in Parliament and is available to the public– more than three months after it was provided to the Government. The...
Rights and Freedoms
National Press Club, Wednesday, 18th February 2015 - Why freedom matters
Sex Discrimination
It’s a great pleasure to be speaking here today. Congratulations Dominic and Kevin and the conference leaders for giving priority to the issue of women’s leadership. As Natalie mentioned, I have the immense privilege of being Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner. This role has taken me from 200 metres under the sea in a submarine to the United Nations in New York, to camping out with aboriginal women in Northern Australia, to the mountains and valleys of Afghanistan, the White House, the Pentagon, NATO and the World Bank ALL in the same year.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
"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...
Race Discrimination
Explore an opinion piece that celebrates 40 years of the Racial Discrimination Act by former Race Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Tim Soutphommasane.
Rights and Freedoms
Charlie Hebdo would have risked being censored by the courts, but self-censorship is the reality of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Sex Discrimination
It is indeed a privilege to be invited to speak to you all at such an important time in many of your lives. In my job I get the opportunity to see and be with people of all walks of life, across all parts of Australia. And it is wonderful to be able to include today in my experiences – it is giving the chance to be with an incredibly talented group of young women, who I hope to see in leadership and decision-making positions across Australia in the future – it is incredibly inspiring.
Visit our media centre for up to date contact details for all media enquiries.
