Search results

I do this in all my public speaking not only because it is proper to do so but because this acknowledgment reminds us that human experience has many levels of diversity, and this of course includes disability.

I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal peoples, and pay my respect to their elders past and present.

<h2>Children and young people as complainants</h2> <h3>Complaint Handlers’ Information Sharing and Liasion (CHISaL) Seminar<br> </h3> <p><strong>Introduction</strong><br><br>Good afternoon everyone and thank you Sandra for the introduction.<br><br>I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders both past and present.<br><br>It is a pleasure to be here to discuss the topic of children and young people as complainants.<br></p>

<p>Welcome everyone. Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the country upon which each of us stands today. I myself stand upon my Bunuba land here in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. I acknowledge and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging across all the lands and waters of this nation.</p>

<p>Thank you Galarrwuy for your warm welcome to Gulkula on your country. It is really wonderful to be here on the occasion the 40th anniversary of the Northern Territory Land Rights Act and another successful Garma Festival.</p> <p>I am a Gangulu man from the Dawson Valley in Central Queensland, I acknowledge you, and the Yolngu Elders here today and those who have come before you. I would like to also acknowledge your young people, the Elders of the future who are yet to emerge.</p>

I will not speak in detail about human rights conventions and disability because this topic is addressed by my co-speaker in this session, Karl Lachwitz. I will say though that international human rights law and human rights debate has not yet acknowledged adequately or sufficiently clearly that people with a disability are part of what the "human" in human rights means. Equally, there has not always been enough attention to human rights dimensions in disability discourse.

To all of you who work with and for Indigenous children and families - my deepest congratulations. Many of you have spent years decrying the treatment of Indigenous children.You have written and spoken, cajoled and attempted to convince and then lobbied some more - just trying to get the people of this country to open their eyes. Your energy has been boundless. Your patience infinite.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we stand, the Eora People, and pay my respects to their Elders, both past and present, and by so doing:

Conspicuously active in retirement!  Perhaps most notably his Grotius Lecture in London last month in which he raised serious doubts as to the legality under international law of Britain’s invasion of Iraq.  This is hardly the path of a man seeking a quiet retirement.