News

Business and Human Rights

Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (2009)

In our new strategic plan we commit to 'motivating big business to incorporate human rights into their everyday business practice'.

Rights and Freedoms

Response to Dr Alison Broinowski: Dr Sev Ozdowski, OAM (2005)

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

Rights and Freedoms

"Long-term detention and mental health": Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM (2003)

Speech given by Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM, Human Rights Commissioner at the 2nd Public Health Association of Australia Incarceration Conference. Wednesday 2 April 2003 at the Mercure Hotel Brisbane

Commission – General

President speech: Keynote address to VIEW Clubs of Australia

Good morning. I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet, and pay my respect to their elders past and present.

Commission – General

Society of University Lawyers

When I was invited to give this address, my first thought was to talk about unlawful discrimination in the context of higher education and, in particular, disability discrimination.

Rights and Freedoms

59th Session of the Commission on Human Rights statement by Dr Sev Ozdowski

In keeping with the focus of this agenda item on effective functioning of human rights mechanisms and national institutions I propose at the outset to briefly list some of the key areas with which the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has been involved over the past year. A more detailed account of those activities will be circulated. So here is an overview:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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We are on Aboriginal land – and as a mark of respect to the traditional owners of this country – I want to recognise their culture and their law because they are integral to what we now call Coogee.

Disability Rights

Risky Business?

I make this acknowledgment in all my public presentations, because recognising the indigenous history of this land is an important element in recognising the truth of our diversity as a people.

Disability Rights

The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: where are we?

I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngunnawal people, in whose language Canberra means meeting place as you probably know.

Disability Rights

Access to premises – nearly there? (2009)

Since the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force in March 1993 complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission and State/Territory anti-discrimination agencies have shown that while a building might meet the requirements of building law it could still be the subject of a successful complaint under anti-discrimination law.

Disability Rights

International Day of People with Disabilities Keynote Speech

Thanks for the chance to speak with you today. As you might guess, in my role as Disability Discrimination Commissioner, I receive many invitations to speak at functions on the international day. One of the reasons I chose this invitation is because of the really important role that Local Government plays in the lives of all Australians. It deals with the issues that are in your face- and I know, because until two years ago I was a Councillor on Ku-Ring-Gai Council.

Disability Rights

Launch of Westpac Accessibility Action Plan

This launch comes a few days after the International Day of Disabled Persons which this year has electronic information access as its theme and the release last Monday of the Australian Bankers' Association progress report on Accessibility of Electronic Banking.

Disability Rights

Providing Access to All

Some of us are women and some are men; some of us brought new names and accents in recent decades and some of us have Australian ancestry reaching back tens of thousands of years; and some of us have one or more disabilities.

Disability Rights

Presentation toRound Table on Information Access For People with Print Disabilities

I've always had a yearning to be in the Guinness Book of Records, and so I decided, in preparation for today, to give the shortest presentation ever made by a staff member of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. My presentation thus consists of just seven letters: a question of 4 letters, and an answer of 3 letters. The question is SSDD, and the answer is DDA.

Disability Rights

Disability discrimination legislation in Australia from an international human rights perspective: History, achievements and prospects

I want to talk today about the relationship between the lofty principles of international law on human rights and the practical realities for people with a disability in Australia.