Rights and Freedoms
Responsibility, anti-discrimination laws, human rights and freedoms - these words have been at the center of an ideological debate about how to protect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom from detention without trial. But if we are serious about...
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
A comment on the current human rights issues faced by Australia in the processing of refugees and asylum seekers
Rights and Freedoms
Annual Kirby Lecture on International law: ANZSIL 2013 Thursday 4 July 20136:30 pm Finkel Theatre, John Curtin School of Medical Research,Garran Rd, Australian National University (Check against delivery) Freedom of Speech and giving offence: can a balance be struck? I was especially pleased to be...
Sex Discrimination
UN Women 2013 International Women’s Day Panel: Implicit stereotypes, explicit solutions: overcoming gender-based discrimination in the workplace Conference Room 2, North Lawn Building, UN 1.15 – 2.30pm, Friday 8 March ** CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY** The different faces of gender discrimination in...
Rights and Freedoms
Freedom of speech is alive and well in Australia but, with respect to Voltaire, we will not defend to the death those who abuse this right by vilifying others in public on the ground of race.
Disability Rights
Amnesty International conference: Human rights challenges and opportunities in the 21st century Brisbane 6 October 2011 Graeme Innes, Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Commission – General
Chancellor, Professor Peter Shergold AC, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and Development, Professor John Ingleson, academic staff, senior University management, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and importantly, graduands.
Commission – General
I join with those who have spoken before me in acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Dharug people, and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.
Sex Discrimination
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, has appeared before the United Nations Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in New York this week. Enshrined within the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of...
Race Discrimination
Monday, 12 April 2010 Racism, exclusion and poverty: key factors reducing international student safety On 31 March 2010, the Academy of the Social Sciences, the Australian Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia worked in partnership to plan and deliver the Racism and the Student...
Rights and Freedoms
Australia is a great country to live in — for most of us most of the time. We don’t suffer the terrible poverty witnessed in some parts of the world, our judicial system works well by international standards and most of us can vote in elections by secret ballot. Most of us can live pretty safely, say what we like most of the time and, if we are so inclined, practise our faith in peace. Most of us have access to decent education and health services.
Rights and Freedoms
Five years ago I began my term as the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, confident in the ability of the common law and a robust democracy to protect human rights. I leave convinced we need a major legal and cultural overhaul in order to deal with the human rights challenges of the 21st century.
Commission – General
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
I will not speak in detail about human rights conventions and disability because this topic is addressed by my co-speaker in this session, Karl Lachwitz. I will say though that international human rights law and human rights debate has not yet acknowledged adequately or sufficiently clearly that people with a disability are part of what the "human" in human rights means. Equally, there has not always been enough attention to human rights dimensions in disability discourse.
Commission – General
Firstly, I must applaud Amnesty International Australia’s campaign to secure a fair trial for David Hicks. I hope you take some heart from the recent US Supreme Court ruling that the military commissions set up to try prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are illegal and must be abandoned.
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