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Race Discrimination23 July 2015Opinion piece
Forty years of the Racial Discrimination Act
In October 1975, at a ceremony for the proclamation of the Racial Discrimination Act, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam described the legislation as ‘a historic measure’, which aimed to ‘entrench new attitudes of tolerance and understanding in the hearts and minds of the people’.(1) The Act was Australia’s first federal human rights and discrimination law. Enacted shortly after the formal -
Race Discrimination7 February 2017Opinion piece
The AHRC and the Racial Discrimination Act: setting the record straight
Federal racial hatred legislation and the complaints-handling processes of the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are currently the subjects of an inquiry by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. The Committee’s ‘Freedom of speech in Australia’ inquiry, due to report by 28 February 2017, is giving particular attention to sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination… -
Rights and Freedoms7 November 2014Opinion piece
The government should fix two free-speech obstacles together: 35P and 18C
The Abbott government should correct the festering sores of 35P of National Security Legislation and 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act together. Since the passage of Section 35P of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill a number of journalists have decried the threat to free speech of jailing someone for revealing the details of an ASIO special intelligence operation. Their… -
Commission – General14 December 2012Opinion piece
Opinion Pieces / Articles
Discover a collection of opinion pieces. -
Rights and Freedoms26 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… -
Race Discrimination6 October 2023Opinion piece
Whatever the voice vote’s result, Australia has a racism problem we must tackle
Read Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan's op-ed, published in The Guardian Australia. "Australia will, fundamentally, be changed on 14 October. However the cards fall in the voice referendum, one thing is for sure: our next urgent national priority is tackling racism." -
Rights and Freedoms19 January 2015Opinion piece
Charlie Hebdo V 18C: no contest
Charlie Hebdo would have risked being censored by the courts, but self-censorship is the reality of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice14 December 2012Opinion piece
Act closed wounds but not the gap (2009)
In 1994, phone numbers had seven digits, we listened to Crowded House, and it was legal to own a semi-automatic rifle. Mother And Son and A Country Practice disappeared from television screens, and The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert and Muriel's Wedding showed off our magnificent country and sense of humour while touching on tough issues such as marginalisation, sexuality and racism. -
Age Discrimination1 October 2021Opinion piece
Generational divide? It’s more myth than reality
Although antagonism between the generations is often seen as inevitable, the ‘generational wars’ we hear about are not supported by Australians themselves. A new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission, What’s age got to do with it? A snapshot of ageism across the Australian lifespan, examines what young adult, middle-aged and older Australians really think about age and ageism… -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice16 December 2020Opinion piece
We have failed to recognise the contributions of First Nations women and girls
Our voices heard and understood. Our lives and expertise recognised. Our actions counted and invested in as critical to the health and wellbeing of society. These are the powerful and determined calls of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls in Australia today. They are set-out and responded to in the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices): Securing our Rights, Securing our…