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Commission – General

President speech: ‘A Human Rights Act for Australia’ - Dame Roma Mitchell Memorial Luncheon

Discover a speech on the Human Rights Act in Australia.

Commission – General

The Admission and Exclusion of Asylum Seekers Conference

Discover a speech on asylum seekers.

Commission – General

National Legal Aid Best practice Conference

I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna People, the traditional owners of the land on which we stand and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.

Commission – General

National Human Rights Institutions

The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (hereafter the Australian Human Rights Commission) is one of the oldest National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia Pacific region. It was originally established in 1981 as the Human Rights Commission and then restructured in 1986 to become the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It is a founding member and a strong supporter of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.

Commission – General

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I accepted the invitation to make this Oration and come here tonight with some trepidation: The person being honoured tonight, Dame Roma Mitchell, was the first federal Human Rights Commissioner and this is the territory that has known the powers of persuasion, conviction and commitment of the best human rights minds in the country, including Dame Roma Mitchell herself. Yet I reminded myself that we are both cultivators in the same vineyard, albeit that I both lagged behind her and sought to learn from her. My work today is made easier by the clear and decisive path cut out by my predecessor.

Commission – General

Media Centre - Speeches

The Australian Human Rights Commission publishes a comprehensive collection of speeches delivered by present and historical Commissioners including the President. These speeches cover a wide range of topics, from groundbreaking announcements and strategic initiatives to insightful commentary on...

Commission – General

All under control? Recent issues in Australia’s legal response to counter-terrorism

13 November 2006 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Forum, Sydney I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional owners and custodians of the land where we are meeting on today. I would also like to thank our distinguished guests, the Attorney General, the Honorable Philip Ruddock MP, and Professor George Williams for participating in this forum. BALANCING NATIONAL SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Commission – General

President Speech: A fair chance for every child: The right to survival and development (2010)

First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal people, and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.

Commission – General

President speech: Using human rights to inform administrative decision-making

The right to non-discrimination on the basis of sex and immigration regulations: Abdulaziz, Cabales and Balkandali v The United Kingdom (28 May 1985) Eur Court HR

Commission – General

President speeches: Human Rights in Australia

Thank you for inviting me here today to speak about human rights in Australia. I would like to use this opportunity to focus on how human rights are protected in Australia; and how you, as human rights educators, can help students to understand these protections. I will also seek to shed some light on the role of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and some of our responses to some current human rights issues.

Commission – General

Launch of Trustees on Trial - recovering the stolen wages by Dr Rosalind Kidd

As many of you know, for over a decade Dr Kidd has been a tenacious and dedicated advocate for the rights of Indigenous people. She has focused especially on the gross inequities that occurred through and under the various 'Protection Acts' that operated in Queensland from the 1890s to the 1980s.

Commission – General

International Human Rights Day Address

In keeping with the theme of today's awards, I want to welcome you all here to celebrate our local champions, many of whom are with us as nominees for the 2004 Human Rights Medal and Human Rights Awards.

Commission – General

H R Law Masterclass: Federal Anti-discrimination Law in an Employment Context: recent developments, likely future directions and the lessons from the past

To some of you the role of The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) in the industrial relations scene in Australia will be well known, others of you may be wondering why a representative of a human rights body would be speaking on this occasion. I propose therefore to briefly summarise HREOC's role in the administration of federal anti-discrimination law, including its complaint handling function, and to give some recent statistics.

Commission – General

Keynote address to the Victoria Legal Aid Civil Justice Law and Practice Conference

I would like to begin this morning by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their elders past and present.

Commission – General

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By way of preamble, it is clear the current climate of terrorism obviously requires governments to put in place measures that can effectively deal with a serious terrorist threat or event as soon as it is detected. Parliament cannot wait until potential dangers eventuate. It is understandable – indeed it is necessary in advance - to put in place measures that can deal with the worst case scenario that could arise.