Sex Discrimination
The Boardroom is no longer a closed shop (2009)
I have been asked why, as Sex Discrimination Commissioner, I have so strongly argued for an increase in the numbers of women in senior business leadership positions.
News
Sex Discrimination
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.
Commission – General
Speeches by the Hon. John von Doussa, President, Australian Human Rights Commission
Note: Hon. John von Doussa, term as President ended in October 2008. The Hon. Catherine Branson was appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission on 7 August 2008 for five year term.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Can the end ever justify the means?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and acting Race Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Indigenous health: real solutions for a chronic problem (2007)
I would like to acknowledge the Yolngu people on whose land we are today. I would also like to thank Charles Darwin University for inviting me to speak at this Garma festival where we celebrate the Yolngu culture and world view.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
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.
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]
Disability Rights
The Draft United Nations Convention on Human Rights and Disability
I do this in all my public speaking not only because it is proper to do so but because this acknowledgment reminds us that human experience has many levels of diversity, and this of course includes disability.
Disability Rights
Opportunity Knocks:Workers with a Disability
Allow me to begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their elders both past and present.
Sex Discrimination
Peeling the inequality onion
This paper considers national and international legislative and other provisions regarding equality for women in the labour market. Australia ranks second to Sweden in terms of pay equity. It is argued that over the last two decades of global shifts to labour market decentralism and deregulation, Australian women have fared relatively well. Three fundamental reasons stand out:
Disability Rights
Hastings: Transition
When I was discussing this event with Jenni Huon we talked about whether the theme should be "transition" or "transitions". At the time I thought it did not matter much, but as soon as I started to write this address I realised that I am going to talk about "transition". "Transitions" (plural) suggests one discrete thing after another, a beginning, middle and end before another beginning. It is a word describing things, separate events, bits of life that can be captured, have edges put round them.
Disability Rights
Mason: Experience with the representative complaints procedure to date
This Representative Complaints workshop aims to develop a document on representative complaints to be used by the DDA Legal Advocacy Services, other legal services and other representatives and advocates in making representative complaints and to assist them in if the representative complaints procedure is appropriate in any particular case.
Rights and Freedoms
Human Rights from a religious viewpoint (with particular reference to religious liberty)
Ronald Wilson President Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission World Conference on Religion and Peace2 February 1991 Monash UniversitySpeech notes Synopsis: I. Introduction II. United Nations Charter III. The Universal Declaration 1. Place of religious freedom among human rights (a) A matter...
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
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I would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of the land on which we are meeting, and to honour their children. I thank them for the welcome they have extended to delegates of this conference.
Disability Rights
The DDA and employment of people with a disability
The standard sort of speech that is often delivered by people in my sort of position at this sort of event is a combination of pep talk and pamphlet, with some bits of a law lecture thrown in: telling people with a disability and their advocates that they have rights under discrimination law, and telling employers that they have responsibilities, and attempting to set out the terms and the effect of the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (or "DDA").
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