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Rights and Freedoms
19 December 2014PublicationAustralia’s Universal Periodic Review 2014 Progress Report
This 2014 UPR Progress Report is the fourth in a series of annual reports developed in the lead up to Australia’s Second Cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. -
Rights and Freedoms
17 December 2014Publication
Free Speech 2014 Symposium Papers
This report is a collection of the presentations given by the various speakers at Free Speech 2014. These papers represent the views of the speakers, not the Commission. Whilst some minor edits have been made to the original transcripts, the Commission has maintained the integrity of the speeches as they were delivered on the day. -
Rights and Freedoms
18 November 2014Speech
Fraser Lecture 2014
Professor Gillian Triggs President Australian Human Rights Commission Fraser Lecture Canberra Check against delivery Thank you Dr Andrew Leigh for your invitation and introduction. It is an honour to be here in your electorate of Fraser in north Canberra. I would like to acknowledge that we meet on the land of the Ngunnawal people, and pay my respects to their elders, past and present. As we… -
Rights and Freedoms
12 November 2014Speech
Celebration of brave journalism
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Introduction and acknowledgement Thank you Andrew for your welcome. Before I begin I would like to acknowledge that we meet on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to elders, past and present. May I also acknowledge Peter Greste’s parents and family who have joined us tonight. I thank Al Jazeera for the invitation and congratulate them… -
Rights and Freedoms
7 November 2014Opinion piece
The government should fix two free-speech obstacles together: 35P and 18C
The Abbott government should correct the festering sores of 35P of National Security Legislation and 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act together. Since the passage of Section 35P of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill a number of journalists have decried the threat to free speech of jailing someone for revealing the details of an ASIO special intelligence operation. Their… -
Rights and Freedoms
14 October 2014Opinion piece
Speak up out of respect for rights and culture
To advance human rights we need to promote a culture of respect for everyone exercising their choice and freedoms. On a day-to-day basis, human rights probably appear abstract for most Australians. The term often gets raised in discussion about how we are treating asylum seekers, or when we discuss disadvantage in the community. It is common for people to say "I have a right to" one thing,… -
Rights and Freedoms
10 October 2014Opinion piece
Even in pursuit of valid goals, let's stop sacrificing principles and rights
In pursuit of legitimately tackling isolated criminal behaviour, Parliaments are reversing the basic principle of liberal democracy by criminalising the exercise of human rights and prescribing lawful activity. -
Rights and Freedoms
15 August 2014Project
Rights & Responsibilities 2014
In 2014, former Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson MP conducted a national consultation about how well Australia protects people's rights and freedoms. -
Rights and Freedoms
12 August 2014Speech
Free speech and human rights in Australia
From the Free Speech Symposium -
Rights and Freedoms
12 August 2014Opinion piece
Lessons from RDA debate should not be forgotten - Opinion piece
A uniting, not dividing, approach is needed to reform restrictions on free speech, writes Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, in an opinion piece first published in The Australian on 9 August 2014. View the news story from the Commission's website. -
Rights and Freedoms
12 August 2014Opinion piece
Starting a national conversation about free speech - Opinion piece
In an opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson says this week's Free Speech Symposium, together with the Prime Minister's decision not to proceed with changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, marks the beginning of a national conversation about free speech. View the news story from the Commission's website. -
Rights and Freedoms
22 July 2014Speech
Accessing Justice – The Australian Experience
20th International AIDS Conference, Melbourne -
Rights and Freedoms
3 July 2014Project
Free Speech 2014
The Commission hosted a one-day symposium on free speech on Thursday 7th August 2014. -
Rights and Freedoms
11 June 2014Speech
The Forgotten Freedoms – Freedom of Religion
It is a great pleasure to deliver a Blackfriars Lecture. A few weeks ago I gave a speech to the Sydney Institute outlining the approach I plan to take to human rights as the Federal Commissioner titled ‘The Forgotten Freedoms’. In this speech I outlined that I have concerns about the key freedoms of expression, worship, association and property rights. Reasserting them will be the focus of my… -
Rights and Freedoms
20 May 2014Opinion piece
Twitter trolls have a right to offend – but we don't have to listen
Storms on social media demonstrate we don't need laws to regulate free speech – social norms are enough Internet outrage tells us more about how we ensure civil conduct face-to-face, than how we behave online. People behave in strange ways online. But social media provides the clearest evidence of people behaving on their first instinct. All that the internet has demonstrated is there were… -
Rights and Freedoms
19 May 2014Opinion piece
Opening minds to ‘forgotten freedoms’
Opinion by Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson. First published in The Australian on 17 May 2014. Reform is not the end of debating free speech in Australia, it is the beginning The “forgotten freedoms” provide the foundations of our liberal democracy, and we have to reconnect with them. There are competing views about how human rights and freedoms should be approached. After all, human… -
Rights and Freedoms
13 May 2014Speech
The Forgotten Freedoms
The Sydney Institute -
Rights and Freedoms
9 April 2014Speech
The freedom wars and the future of human rights in Australia
Address to the National Press Club, Canberra -
Rights and Freedoms
8 April 2014Opinion piece
Free speech, the public service and civilising behaviour
Before anyone screams "free speech", they should actually know what they are talking about. Earlier this week the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet released new social media protocols. The protocols limit the capacity of public servants to make statements that are "harsh or extreme in their criticism of the government, government policies, a member of Parliament from another political… -
Rights and Freedoms
8 April 2014Opinion piece
Speaking freely goes to the heart of individual dignity - Opinion Piece
Arguing that old rich white men have too much power is just a backdoor attempt at censorship, writes Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, in an opinion piece first published on 5 April 2014 in The Australian.