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Rights and Freedoms
29 September 2017SpeechReligion and Human Rights in Modern Australia: Friends, Foes or Ships in the Night?
Western Sydney Open Forum CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Acknowledgements • Traditional Aboriginal owners: the Darug Nation • Dr Sev Ozdowski AM If you’ve read the papers or seen the news in the last few weeks, you might be forgiven for thinking that human rights are somehow radically incompatible with religion, or at least with ‘religious freedom’. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact,… -
Commission – General
3 April 2017SpeechHobart Oration
Explore a speech by Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, in relation to the state of human rights in Australia. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012SpeechNOT 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… -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012Speech
The best DisCo in town: Towards implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2009)
A very big thank you, in particular, to our colleagues from the Australian Attorney-General's Department and theDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mostly, of course, for their work with us, over many years, in advancing the human rights of people with disability, internationally and domestically. But also, for being (as far as I know) the first in the world to refer, officially, to the… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech'Still Riding for Freedom’ (2008)
I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land where we are meeting tonight, the Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation. I pay my respects to your elders and to those who have come before us. And thank you to Chicka Madden for your generous welcome to country. Chicka and I spent a term together on the Board of Aboriginal Hostels. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech
Essentials for Social Justice: Close the Gap
Between December 2007 and July 2008 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, will deliver a series of key speeches setting out an agenda for change in Indigenous affairs. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 1998 : Chapter 2: Non-Indigenous Community Responses
You would be hard pressed to find a newspaper, television or radio station that did not make mention of Sorry Day activities and National Reconciliation events over the past week. -
14 December 2012Book page
Same-Sex: Same Entitlements: Chapter 5
Protecting the best interests of a child is one of the most important principles of international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in particular. This chapter focuses on whether federal law currently protects the best interests of a child being raised by lesbian or gay parents. -
14 December 2012Book page
Towards Accessible Telecommunications for People with Disabilities
2.1 Introduction 2.2 Telephone Network Evolution 2.2.1 Mainstream Technology Developments 2.2.2 Customer Access Alternatives 2.2.3 Implications for People with Disabilities 2.3 Wireless Communications 2.3.1 Mainstream Developments in Mobile Telecommunications 2.3.2 Implications for People with Disabilities 2.4 Development of the Internet 2.4.1 Mainstream Internet Development 2.4.2 World Wide Web… -
Disability Rights
2 December 2013Speech
Presentation to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. Thanks for the chance to have this discussion this afternoon. It's a relatively small group so I hope it can be quite informal. We've just seen one of the films from the Australian Human Rights Commission's Twenty Years: Twenty Stories project. I wanted to show you this story because it typifies where we can be on issues around accommodation… -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012Speech
Advancing human rights of children and young people with disabilities
I was around as head of the then Disability Advisory Council of Australia back in the late 80s and early 90s when ACROD and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission worked together on a discussion paper and consultation process to identify and pursue areas of increased need for human rights protection for people with disabilities. -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Employment and Disability: Issues Paper 5
From the outset of this Inquiry, it was apparent that there was a need for clearer information on the services offered by the Commonwealth regarding employment of people with disabilities. -
Rights and Freedoms
26 March 2014Opinion piece
Free speech is best medicine for the bigotry disease
THE proposed amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act provide the basis for correcting the legal limits of free speech, promoting pluralism, opposing reprehensible racism and highlighting the importance of responsibility. Arguably the most important change is assessing an 18C violation based on “the standard of an ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community”. Interpretations… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 July 2013WebpageAlternatives to detention
Learn about the alternatives to mandatory immigration detention that allow for the protection of the community while ensuring people are treated humanely. -
Legal
6 April 2018SubmissionMigration Amendment (Clarification of Jurisdiction) Bill 2018
Downloads Introduction The Australian Human Rights Commission makes this submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee in its Inquiry into the Migration Amendment (Clarification of Jurisdiction) Bill 2018 (Cth) (Bill) introduced by the Australian Government. Summary This Bill proposes to amend Part 8 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (Migration Act) which… -
14 December 2012Book page
The draft premises standard and small business
This is the text of a letter from Commissioner Ozdowski on 4 October 2005 in response to a request from the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations for views on the effect of the draft Disability Standard on Access to Premises on small business and in particular small business operating out of existing buildings: -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Excerpt from the 2003 Mitchell Oration to be delivered by John von Doussa, QC (2003)
Plainly, there is no easy solution. There are millions of hearts to be warmed, and what works for some may have little influence on others. There must be many programs, operating on many levels and operating incrementally so as to touch the greatest possible number of people. -
3 October 2014Opinion piece
Time to strengthen our lax surrogacy laws
Nationwide regulations are urgently needed to cover situations when Australians are engaging surrogates to have children for them. The range of assisted reproductive technologies available today presents many legal, moral and ethical challenges. These are challenges we can no longer ignore and require national, state and international leadership. In Australia, altruistic surrogacy is… -
Rights and Freedoms
9 July 2015Speech
Religious Freedom in a Secular Society
Freedom of religion is a close ally and friend of the absolute freedoms of thought and conscience. Government cannot regulate it, and nor should they. Equally, it is closely allied to freedom of expression. -
Sex Discrimination
27 March 2015SpeechSydney Girls High School – Annual Presentation Day
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…