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Acknowledgment of where we stand and where we are is, it seems to me, an essential precondition to good decisions about where we want to go, and how we might get there.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

NOT HAPPY JAN : Speech for Epilepsy Action AGM

Thank you for the chance to speak with you at your AGM today. AGMs are important formal processes in the corporate life of an organisation. But they also provide an opportunity to reflect on what the organisation has achieved over the last twelve months, and to look into the future at the challenges ahead. You - as members, directors, staff and supporters of Epilepsy Action - know the organisation much better than I do. So I'm not going to attempt a review of your past, or polish up my crystal ball for some future gazing.

Category, Speech

Meet Anne Hollonds, 

Australia's National Children's Commissioner. 

Her job is to stand up for your rights, and make sure your voices are heard.

Children's Commissioner Ms Anne Hollonds

What is your job?

My job is to stand up for the human rights of Australia’s children and young people, and to make sure that they get the help they need to be safe and well.

All children should have enough to eat, public transport, good health care, including for mental health, and a safe neighbourhood. They should be able to feel they belong and are supported in their family, their community and at school. They need time and space to enjoy activities like sport and music, and to play.

What do you do for children and young people?

I want to make sure children and young people have a voice in the issues that affect them. 

I listen to find out what matters most to them and what their hopes and problems are.  Then I tell the government and other decision-makers what children have said, so that laws and policies better protect their rights. 

I also talk to community about children's rights in the media and in speeches, and I do research and write submissions to government. And I keep a close eye on children who need extra help, like children in detention or in out-of-home care. 

What is the one thing you hear most often from children about their rights?

Children tell me they want their voices to be heard and their views taken seriously. I also hear that having a supportive family and school is really important for their wellbeing. 

What do you love about your job?

The best part of my job is talking to children and young people from across Australia to hear their stories and ideas. I am often surprised by what they say. Hearing directly from children is important so I can tell governments what they need. 

If you could do one thing for children in Australia, what would it be? 

I would ask the Australian Government to make child safety and wellbeing a priority for National Cabinet and appoint a Minister for Children.

What do you like to do when you’re not working for children’s rights?

I love swimming and going to the beach with my family, watching Netflix, listening to music and hanging out with friends. 

Disability Rights

Access to Electronic Commerce

Address By Graeme Innes Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner to the Conference Of The Roundtable For People With A Print Disability 22 May 2000

Category, Speech
Legal

Law Seminar 2007: The Northern Territory National Emergency Response Legislation by Dr Sarah Pritchard

1. That Aboriginal child sexual abuse in the Northern Territory be designated as an issue of urgent national significance by both the Australian and Northern Territory Governments, and both governments immediately establish a collaborative partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding to specifically address the protection of Aboriginal children from sexual abuse. It is critical that both governments commit to genuine consultation with Aboriginal people in designing initiatives for Aboriginal communities.” (emphasis added)

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Making human rights real for all helps to keep democracies healthy

Many years ago, when I was a very young solicitor anxious to be taken seriously by my employers, I needed to do some banking in my lunch hour. When I arrived at my bank, I was confronted by a long queue. I assessed the pace at which it was moving and decided that I could get served and still make it back to the office on time. You can imagine my astonishment when, arriving at the front of the queue, the teller asked if I would mind stepping aside so that she could serve the men behind me who would need to get back to work!

Category, Speech
Commission – General

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On behalf of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, I would like to welcome you to this workshop on the recognition of Aboriginal Customary Law.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Essentials for Social Justice: The Future

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

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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I would like to begin by acknowledging all the traditional owners of the land where we meet, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Thank you Megan Davis for your welcome and for inviting me to be here today.

Category, Speech

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