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Commission – General

President speech: Speech to the UNSW UN Society

May I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and the Darug language group. I also pay my respects to all Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders present today.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

President speech: The role of culture and human rights in promoting human development

[1] According to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) – or living heritage – is the mainspring of our cultural diversity and its maintenance a guarantee for continuing creativity. It is defined as follows: Intangible Cultural Heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Take judges out of human rights process (2009)

Predictably, opponents of a human rights act reacted swiftly to Mr McHugh's comments, misrepresenting concerns about specific aspects of one model of a human rights act as a reason to reject any such act.

Category, Opinion
Commission – General

Preventing injustice before it can happen – Let’s bring human rights home (2008)

What sort of Australia do we want to live in? I'm quite sure most people, like me, would say they want to live in a society where respect for the individual is recognised as precious. Where everyone is valued, whether they are male or female, young or old, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, whatever their faith, whether or not they have a disability - everyone.

Category, Opinion
Commission – General

2008 Human Rights Day Oration

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Prevention of human rights abuses against irregular migrants: the role of National Institutions

In the age of globalisation there has been a massive increase in international migration and, as the number of international migrants has grown, so too has the problem of irregular migration. Many states have tried to stem irregular migration by introducing new border control measures and tougher criminal sanctions for people smugglers.[1] However, while effective border control is a legitimate objective of all sovereign states, state responses to the issue of irregular migration have often failed to protect the human rights of irregular migrants.[2]

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Human rights education in a time of terrorism (2003)

In the newspapers of recent weeks we seem constantly confronted with similarly miserable and distressing events – a mortar attack on CARE Australia’s office in Baghdad; attacks on a synagogue and the British consulate in Istanbul; more suicide bombings in Israel.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

Occasional Address (2002)

It is an honour and a pleasure to be here today to share with you, Graduands, your families and friends, the joys of today, a day that represents the culmination of much work, learning, striving and not a little occasional frustration and anxiety. I add my very good wishes to the many that others have already conveyed.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

2022 Human Rights Day Oration by Larissa Behrendt

"No More Just Tinkering at the Edges" Human Rights Day Oration by Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO 9 December 2022 I pay my respects to the Gadigal and the Elders who have kept knowledge on this country and shared so generously this unceded land. Before I start, I would like to thank the...

Category, Speech
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...

Category, Speech
Commission – General

INCORPORATING HUMAN RIGHTS PRINCIPLES INTO NATIONAL SECURITY MEASURES

Since the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, Governments around the world have created a raft of new counter-terrorism laws. In Australia alone, over 40 new laws have created new criminal offences, new detention and questioning powers for police and security apparatus, new powers for the Attorney-General to proscribe terrorist organisations, new ways to control people’s movement and activities without criminal convictions, and new investigative powers for police and security agencies.

Category, Speech

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