Disability Rights
Probably most of us here are parents, and we all have dreams for our children. One of my dreams for my 18-year-old son and his girl friend is that they will be able to participate in society in the same way as everyone else.
Rights and Freedoms
Acknowledgments I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. I'd also like to thank the Aged and Community Services Association for inviting me to speak about police checks today. Introduction I suspect the average person in the street associates police checks with high-security jobs, such as airport security, or, on the other hand, with jobs working closely with children. However, police checks are required for an increasing number and variety of occupations and industries in Australia, including those providing aged and community services.
Being a young person can be tough. Sometimes it can feel like you don’t have a say about things that affect you. But you do! Having a say is one of your rights. Understanding your rights will give you the power to stand up for yourself and the people around you. So, let’s break down what children’s rights are.
Human rights are special protections that help us live a happy, healthy life. Human rights protect the things that we should all have—like clean water and safety. Your rights should always be respected and never taken away from you.
Human rights are universal and equal. Which means:
Children have special rights to meet their special needs. They are written down in an agreement made by world leaders in 1989—the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
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.
Rights and Freedoms
For those of you unfamiliar with Australia’s Human Rights Commission, it’s an independent government body that protects and promotes human rights. My role as Human Rights Commissioner is to check that human rights in Australia are being respected including the human rights of children and young people.
You’re in the right place to find out about your rights. Let’s make sense of what rights are and how we look out for your rights at the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Meet Anne! It’s her job to make sure your rights are protected.
Read about issues that affect your rights and how we stand up for them in Australia.
Commission – General
Discover a speech on mandatory immigration detention of children.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
It is now more than 5 years since the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission completed its national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families with the publication of Bringing them home.
Sex Discrimination
Because in addition to being integral members of the workforce, women are the bearers of and remain the primary carers for children. So if it isn't working for her then it isn't working for her family, her partner, her children and babies.
Rights and Freedoms
Thank you, Megan McNichol, conference organisers and the Isolated Children's Parents' Association for inviting me to speak at your annual federal conference today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Rights and Freedoms
I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. It's almost 18 months since we launched the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements National Inquiry. In that time, we have travelled around Australia to hear, first hand, about the impact of discriminatory laws on same-sex couples, and their children. We received 680 written submissions from across Australia and met with more than 500 people. The Inquiry put federal laws under the human rights microscope.
If you feel uncomfortable, or like something is wrong, it’s really important you get help. Something not feeling right could mean that a person or an organisation isn’t playing by the rules when it comes to your rights. Let’s step through who you can turn to when children’s rights aren’t being respected.
If you feel unsafe or like something bad is happening to you right now, there are people who can help you straight away.
The first step in figuring out whether your rights have been disrespected is to know what they are in the first place. As a child in Australia, you have lots of rights. Like:
If you want to find out more about your rights, we’ve got a page just for that.
A good place to start if you feel like something is wrong is to speak to an adult you can trust - someone who will listen, believe and help you.
The first person you talk to may not be the right person so it’s okay to keep telling other safe people in your life until you have been heard, believed, and someone helps you.
There are places in the community you can get help from if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to an adult you know. The best place to turn to depends on if:
You can chat to these services for free, and what you say is private. You don’t even have to tell them your name if you don’t want to.
You can talk to them about anything—no matter how big or small it seems.
You can make a complaint to us for different reasons. For example, if you think:
We can investigate and try to help solve it. Making a complaint is free and open to anyone anywhere in Australia. Find out more about how to make a complaint.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
The story in my hand is the saddest of all stories. It is the story of children taken from their mothers and fathers and families. It is the story of mothers and fathers and families who lost the most precious thing in their lives. Their children.
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