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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
7 December 2015SpeechIndigenous Property Rights
Thank you Donna Ingram for that wonderful welcome to country. I want to pay respect to the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and pay respect to the elders past and present. -
LGBTIQ+
29 January 2016Opinion pieceGenuine marriage equality is more than overdue
Imagine seeing the words "never married" on your new husband's death certificate. As if the grief of losing your husband while honeymooning wasn't traumatic enough. Marco Bulmer-Rizzi's husband, David, died after falling down stairs at a friend's place in Adelaide. Because South Australia doesn't recognise same-sex marriages from overseas, David's death certificate initially recorded him as "not ... -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
4 February 2016SpeechNew report reveal alarming impact of detention on children
[Check against delivery] Thank you for joining us today. Over a year ago, the Australian Human Rights Commission produced The Forgotten Children Report. This Report examined the impact of prolonged mandatory, indefinite immigration detention on the mental and physical heath of children. The findings were disturbing. In short, detention, whether on Christmas Island, Nauru or centres on the ... -
Rights and Freedoms
8 February 2016Opinion pieceAnother 'aberration' shows that 18C is the problem and must be changed
State and federal governments should reform laws that make offensive acts unlawful and refocus them on protecting free speech and stopping workplace and public harassment. This week a news story broke about a complaint made under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act by a Queensland University of Technology employee. Section 18C makes it unlawful to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" ... -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
10 February 2016Opinion piece
Generation to Close the Gap?
At the heart of this nation, there is a fundamental wrong in the relationship between the First Peoples and non-Indigenous people. We are divided between those who celebrate Australia Day without any thought of the implications of that day, and those who mourn Invasion Day and mark it as Survival Day, those for whom racism is an abstract noun, and those for whom racism is a concrete daily reality ... -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Native title reform could go closer to fulfilling Mabo's legacy (2012)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
10 April 2015Opinion piece
The Government, the High Court and the Migration Act
Read an opinion piece about the High Court finding the government in breach of the Migration Act for refusing to grant a protection visa to a refugee. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Opinion piece
One's identity is for the individual to determine (2011)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published. -
Legal
14 December 2012SpeechLaw Seminar 2007: Indigenous Stolen Wages Inquiry held by Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Senator Russell Trood
Speaking Notes for a seminar organised by Human Rights and Equal Rights Commission on the topic of Indigenous Stolen Wages Inquiry held by Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee by Senator Russell Trood Senator for Queensland 9 March 2007 Inquiry Initiated by Senator Bartlett, Democrat Queensland Inquiry much indebted to the research of Dr Ros Kidd Inquiry began in October 2006, report ... -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
Developing a Culture of Human Rights: Education, Public Awareness and Active Citizenship
The Australian Human Rights Commission supports a Human Rights Act for Australia. It would set out in a single document the human rights that all people in Australia are entitled to enjoy, and the responsibilities we have to respect the rights of others. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
Keynote Address CEO Sleepout
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with all of you, and sleep with some of you. As you will have noticed, Vinnies was good enough to let my eleven-year-old daughter Rachel join me as my guide tonight, and she'll be the only one getting any of my cuddles. The rest of you have to make your own arrangements. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Speech
Cessnock Shire Council - Australia Day Ambassador address (2009)
First, it's great to celebrate our national day with such a large, diverse and - as we've seen - talented group of Australians. And may I particularly congratulate those who've chosen to join us as Australians today. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Treating asylum seekers well is in all our interests (2011)
The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
Bill of rights is essential to best serve human rights (2008)
Five years ago I began my term as the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, confident in the ability of the common law and a robust democracy to protect human rights. I leave convinced we need a major legal and cultural overhaul in order to deal with the human rights challenges of the 21st century. -
Rights and Freedoms
14 December 2012Opinion piece
A last resort? Children in Immigration Detention (2004)
Four weeks ago today, a report was tabled in Federal Parliament that detailed numerous and repeated breaches of the human rights of children in our detention centres. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Submission - Client Legal Privilege and Federal Investigatory Bodies (2007)
[2] Relevantly, s 24 (3) provides that: ‘Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, a person is not excused: (a) from giving any information, or producing a document, when required to do so pursuant to this Act; or (b) from answering a question that the person is required to answer by a member before whom the person is attending in compliance with a notice served on the person under subsection 21(5); on the ground that the giving of the information, the production of the document or the answering of the question: (c) would disclose legal advice furnished to a Minister, to a person -
Commission – General
14 December 2012SpeechUniversity of Western Sydney – Graduation Address (2011)
Chancellor, Professor Peter Shergold AC, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and Development, Professor John Ingleson, academic staff, senior University management, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and importantly, graduands. -
Commission – General
14 December 2012Speech
President speech: National Human Rights Consultation: ‘The Great Debate’
My role today is to talk about what a Human Rights Act for Australia might look like and to address some of the arguments that have been made against an Act of this kind being adopted. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
14 December 2012Speech
Addressing Indigenous health inequality within a generation – a call to action: Calma (2007)
There have been some improvements in recent years. But there is a long way to go. Indigenous peoples make gains but they are often smaller than those made by the non-Indigenous population - so the disparity in life chances remains static. In fact, there has been very little reduction in this inequality gap in Australia in the past decade. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012WebpageReview of Captioning Standards under the Broadcasting Services Act: Submission of the Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner
[Note: The paper from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts to which this submission responds may be found on the Department's internet site .]