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Latest News
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Senator Steve Fielding says the Government should send asylum seekers to refugee camps in other countries because they are “jumping the queue”:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/11/2842736.htm
Former PM Malcolm Fraser says the problems of people smuggling and asylum seekers cannot be solved in boat-by-boat negotiations with [...]
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of Indigenous people has released a
key report on the severe disadvantage suffered by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Special Rapporteur’s report focuses on the need for the Australian Government to ensure that Aboriginal people are included in decision making about matters that affect [...]
The legal obligation to respect, protect and fulfil human rights applies to all arms of government – legislative, executive and judicial – and directly engages the parliament.
Notwithstanding Australia’s international legal obligations, however, the Commonwealth has not established formal domestic mechanisms to ensure comprehensive parliamentary scrutiny of human rights.
On 5 March 2010, therefore, the Centre made [...]
The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission has just released a major research report on ‘Developing a Bill of Rights for the UK’.
The report aims to ‘identify and explore best practice processes for developing a new Bill of Rights for the UK’. The report analyses evidence from related domestic and international experiences (including the ACT, [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
ANZ subsidiary denies involvement in partnership scheme to sponsor the Cambodian military:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/04/2835925.htm
ACTU concerned that Rudd government’s revamp of awards system will leave workers worse off:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/actu-uneasy-over-revamp-of-awards-system/story-e6frg6nf-1225837143827
Assaults in Aboriginal families not reported for fear of losing kids:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/aboriginal-australia/assaults-in-aboriginal-families-not-reported-for-fear-of-losing-kids/story-e6frgd9f-1225837137810
Coroner: Cassidy inquest into the police shooting [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Habib case may set precedent for Aussie detainees:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/26/2830783.htm
UN Special Rapporteur labels Northern Territory Intervention racist:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/intervention-in-nt-racist-un-envoy-20100224-p3ni.html
Police to use Tasers in country Victoria from July 1:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/police-to-use-conducted-energy-devices-in-country-victoria-from-july-1/story-e6frf7jo-1225834335031
Terrorists to be ‘de-radicalised’ in NSW supermaximum prison:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/25/2829559.htm?section=justin
Refuge Council urges Australia to expand refugee intake:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/24/2828438.htm?section=justin
Call for conscience vote [...]
The announcement that Victoria Police will conduct a trial to roll-out Tasers to all uniformed and traffic management police in Bendigo and Morwell leaves vulnerable groups at risk of greater harm.
“This announcement reflects the race to the bottom in the Victorian Government’s pre-election law and order agenda. We are seeing good, evidence-based policy being discarded [...]
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of Indigenous peoples, James Anaya, has released an advance copy of his Observations on the Northern Territory Emergency Response. The report follows Mr Anaya’s official visit to Australia in August last year.
While the Special Rapporteur acknowledges Australia’s efforts to address the conditions faced by many Aboriginal communities in the [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Opposition leader Tony Abbott rejects the Government’s target to halve homelessness by 2020, stating instead that ‘the poor will always be with us’:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/bible-bashing-the-homeless-abbott-style-20100215-o2tj.html
Welfare quarantining under the Senate spotlight – Northern Territory Intervention is not working:
http://newmatilda.com/2010/02/18/not-working
A top global official on refugees has [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Jesuit priest Father Frank Brennan has called on the nation’s churches to back a Charter of rights:
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/churches-urged-to-back-charter-of-rights-20100208-nn5g.html
South Australian Government vows to ban all bikie gangs after a Hells Angel associate blew himself up with a bomb apparently intended for a rival [...]
The Australian Human Rights Commission has issued Draft Guidelines to provide practical assistance to Parliament and the Government in designing and implementing income management measures that protect human rights and are consistent with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. The HRLRC has made a submission providing feedback on the Draft Guidelines, which welcomes the Commission’s development of [...]
It is almost two years since the Rudd Government issued its historic Apology to the Stolen Generations. Polling immediately prior to the Apology indicated that it remained a contentious and potentially divisive issue, with 55 per cent of Australians supporting the Government’s decision to say sorry and 36 per cent opposed. Polling conducted in the [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
South Australia outlaws anonymous political speech
http://www.news.com.au/technology/south-australian-state-government-gags-internet-debate/story-e6frfro0-1225825750956
Refugee activists call on Australian Government to end Merak asylum stand-off
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/04/2810654.htm?site=news
Inquiry should focus on alternatives to incarcerating Indigenous people
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2010/7_10.html
Court interpreter shortage in South Australia ‘unacceptable’
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/01/2806615.htm
Exemption from anti-discrimination laws to promote Indigenous jobs
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/03/2808872.htm?site=news
Protest house project to [...]
The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee is conducting an inquiry into legislation currently before Parliament that seeks to reinstate the operation of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and expand income management to apply across the whole of Australia.
The Centre has made a submission to the Inquiry that considers the human rights principles and standards that [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
An international relations expert says Afghanistan wants to make an example of an Australian sentenced to death for the murder of his Afghan colleague
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/28/2803111.htm
Opinion: Laws are the key to ending gender discrimination on boards
http://www.theage.com.au/business/equality-in-the-workforce-would-be-good-for-us-all-so-lets-make-it-happen-20100128-n1up.html
Beaten Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka says he [...]
In January 2010, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a Submission to the Victorian Legislative Council Family and Community Development Committee’s inquiry into the adequacy and future directions of public housing in Victoria.
The Centre submits that the future direction of public housing requires a holistic rights-based approach from government, based on the legislative entrenchment [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Allegation that not all Sri Lankan asylum seekers are deserving of protection
http://www.theage.com.au/national/not-all-sri-lankan-refugees-deserving-20100121-mo9i.html
Victoria police targeting drunken and ‘anti-social’ behaviour in particular areas
http://www.theage.com.au/national/police-to-target-drunks-20100121-mo9e.html
A wounded Indian cab driver says the attack on him was not racist
http://www.theage.com.au/national/wounded-driver-attack-not-racist-20100121-mo9j.html
Aboriginal Australians accuse Russian ice skaters of ‘cultural theft’ [...]
The Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Bill 2009 (Vic), currently before Victorian Parliament, proposes to introduce short-term involuntary detention and treatment for persons with severe substance dependence in circumstances where it is necessary as a matter of urgency to save a person’s life or prevent serious damage to a person’s health.
The Human Rights Law Resource Centre [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Refugees denied asylum on the basis of ASIO security checks – ASIO asked to make its security clearance process transparent
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/13/2791759.htm?section=justin
Families separated after Tamil visa denial leaves refugee in no man’s land
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/12/2790781.htm
Aboriginal elders to seek Prince William’s help to return remains of [...]
Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
Police test new powers during weapons blitz in Melbourne’s west
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/07/2787355.htm
Racism not ruled out in student attacks
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/07/2786997.htm
Airline travellers to wear body scan cost
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/travellers-to-wear-body-scan-cost/story-e6frg6nf-1225817143294
‘Racist’ fried chicken ad dumped after US outcry
http://www.theage.com.au/national/racist-fried-chicken-ad-dumped-after-us-outcry-20100107-lwr5.html?autostart=1
Gay Labor activists slam NSW adoption ruling
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/gay-labor-activists-slam-nsw/story-e6frg6n6-1225817137861
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/08/2788027.htm?section=justin
Development of new representative body for Aboriginal [...]
In the course of the recent periodic review of Australia by the UN Human Rights Committee, one of the independent experts called on Australia to grasp its opportunity – and fulfil its obligation – to become a ‘AAA’ human rights state.
This paper, entitled ‘Australia, Human Rights and Foreign Policy’ (2009) 34(4) Alternative Law Journal 218, responds [...]
On 3 December 2009, the Centre made a Submission in response to the Australian Government’s Green Paper on electoral reform.
The submission argues that Australia’s electoral system should reflect and implement Australia’s international human rights obligations, in particular by protecting and promoting the right to vote, freedom of expression, the right to participate in public affairs [...]
Here are the top human rights new stories from the week -
The Federal Court has recognised native title rights for almost 15,000 hectares of land south of Cairns in far north Queensland:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/18/2775433.htm
The Federal Government’s proposal for an internet filter faces a barrage of criticism, including from both sides of politics and a former High [...]
On 10 December 2009, the Centre released a paper entitled Human Rights Leadership: Initiatives to Promote Human Rights at Home and Abroad. The paper, which was provided to the Federal Government in September, proposes 20 initiatives which Australia could take to strengthen a range of normative, preventative and remedial mechanisms to protect human rights at [...]
On 8 October 2009 the National Human Rights Consultation Committee recommended that Australia enact a Human Rights Act. However, although the Consultation clearly demonstrated the right to adequate housing, health care and education are the ‘rights that matter most’ to Australians, the Committee further recommended that, if an Australian Human Rights Act enshrines social and [...]
A major report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth, tabled on 26 November 2009, recommends the enactment of new homelessness legislation which enshrines ‘the right of all Australians to adequate housing’. The report, Housing the Homeless, contains 15 recommendations aimed at preventing and addressing homelessness in Australia.
According [...]
The Victorian Government has introduced the Summary Offences and Control of Weapons Acts Amendment Bill, which will provide police with broad new powers to randomly search people in designated areas without any requirement that police officers have a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing; to strip search people pre-arrest; and to move people on the basis of a [...]
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and Minister Macklin, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre has strongly urged the Rudd Government to immediately reinstate the operation of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) to apply to all measures of the Northern Territory Intervention. The letter has been endorsed by more than [...]
In a submission to the Indigenous Affairs Minister, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre has strongly urged the Minister not to exercise her discretionary power to compulsorily acquire Aboriginal town camps in Alice Springs.
In August this year, the Minister wrote to Alice Springs town camp residents giving notice of her proposal to [...]
The ACT Government conducted an inquiry into the operation of the ACT Human Rights Act (the HR Act), and particularly sought input into the debate on protecting economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights) within the HR Act. The HRLRC made a submission to the inquiry, arguing that all ESC rights in the International Covenant [...]
Earlier this year the Federal Minister for the Status of Women announced a Review of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace and Agency (EOWA) and its underlying legislation (EOWW Act).
The review comes at a time when indicators show a decline in women’s workplace equality. Currently, only 8.3% of Board Directorships are held by [...]
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (’CERD’) has requested that the Australian Government take urgent action to ensure that the Northern Territory Intervention complies with Australia’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
In an Urgent Action Letter to Australia dated 13 March 2009, the Committee [...]
The landmark Report of the National Human Rights Consultation, released by the Federal Government on 8 October 2009, recommends that Australia enact a comprehensive national Human Rights Act.
The report also recommends a range of other measures to protect human rights in Australia, including strengthening the Australian Human Rights Commission, enhancing human rights education, improving parliamentary scrutiny of human rights, [...]
The Human Rights Law Resource Centre and Amnesty have made a Joint Submission to the Federal Attorney-General’s National Security Legislation Discussion Paper, which sets out the measures that the Government proposes to take to respond to a number of recent reviews of counter-terror laws.
Amnesty and the HRLRC acknowledge that governments have a duty to protect [...]
The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee is conducting an inquiry into the Migration Amendment (Complementary Protection) Bill 2009.
Complementary protection is the protection owed by a State that falls outside the scope of the Refugee Convention. Complementary protection obligations are found in the non-refoulement provisions of various human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on [...]
In September 2009, the HRLRC prepared a Briefing Paper on Health and Human Rights in Australia for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Anand Grover, in advance of his country mission to Australia in November and December 2009.
The Briefing Paper considers a range of issues regarding realisation of the right to health [...]
On 11 September 2009, eight years after the events of the events of 11 September 2001, the HRLRC made a Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee regarding the Anti-Terrorism Laws Reform Bill 2009 (Cth).
The submission notes that, in those eight years, the Australian Government has introduced 44 pieces of ‘anti terrorism’ legislation. It [...]
In August 2009, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a Submission to the Alice Springs Town Council in relation to the draft Alice Springs (Management of Public Places) Bylaws 2009.
The HRLRC considers that the following provisions contained within the Proposed Bylaws raise serious human rights concerns for persons in the Alice Springs community:
the provision relating [...]
In July 2009, the Australian Government released exposure draft legislation on proposed reforms to Australia’s extradition and mutual assistance in criminal matters laws.
In August 2009, the Centre made a Submission to the Attorney-General’s Department regarding the proposed reforms. The submission considers the compatibility of proposed amendments to the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) and the Mutual Assistance [...]
On 28 August 2009, the Centre made a Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth inquiry into proposed homelessness legislation for Australia.
Homelessness is a human rights issue and is both a cause and a consequence of poverty and other human rights violations. Therefore, the Centre submitted that the [...]
On 24 June 2009, the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 was lodged in the Senate by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The Bill seeks to amend the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) so that:
same-sex partners are able to marry; and
same-sex marriages legally entered into in other jurisdictions are recognised in Australia.
The Senate voted to send the Bill [...]
On 21 August 2009, the Centre made a short Submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for its consideration in the drafting of a General Recommendation on the issue of ’special measures’, as provided in articles 1(4) and 2(2) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial [...]
On 2 August 2009, the Centre made a Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the Migration Amendment (Immigration Reform) Bill 2009.
The Bill is intended to ’implement the Government’s New Directions in Detention policy to increase clarity, fairness and consistency in the way the Minister and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship respond to [...]
On 27 July 2009, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre and the Public Interest Law Clearing House made a Joint Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration in relation to the National Security Legislation Monitor Bill 2009. The Bill establishes the National Security Legislation Monitor to review the operation, effectiveness and [...]
In July 2009, the HRLRC prepared a Briefing Paper on Key Human Rights Issues in Australia for Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, in advance of her visit to Australia in July-August 2009.
The Briefing Paper considers a range of contemporary human rights issues in Australia, including:
the current legal and political context [...]
Centre Granted Leave to Appear as Amicus Curiae in Victorian Court of Appeal
On 22 July, the Centre was granted leave to appear and was heard as amicus curiae in the Victorian Court of Appeal in the matter of Momcilovic v R.
The matter concerns the application of the Charter and the interpretation of s 5 of the [...]
On 10 July 2009, the Centre and the Public Interest Law Clearing House made a joint submission to the Victorian Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee Inquiry into Exceptions and Exemptions under the Equal Opportunity Act 1995 (Vic), entitled Eliminating Discrimination and Ensuring Substantive Equality.
Permanent Exceptions
PILCH and the HRLRC submit that the permanent exceptions to [...]
The Victorian parliamentary Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into whether any amendments should be made to the permanent exceptions in the Equal Opportunity Act 1995 (Vic).
The Act prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of protected attributes, including age, religious belief or activity, sex, race, sexual orientation, political belief, impairment [...]
On 15 May 2009, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a submission to the National Human Rights Consultation entitled, A Human Rights Act for All Australians [PDF] [Word]. The submission calls for the enactment of a comprehensive Human Rights Act to enhance our democracy and protect fundamental values such as freedom, respect, dignity and [...]
UN Committee Calls on Australia to Invest in Human Rights in Landmark Report
Historic First as Treaty Body Calls on Australia to Address Climate Change and Increase Foreign Aid
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has urged Australia to make human rights a priority at a time when the global financial crisis threatens the [...]
The UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights will review Australia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva on 5 and 6 May 2009.
On 4 May 2009, a non-government delegation, comprising representatives from the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Kingsford Legal Centre, will brief the [...]
On 24 April 2009, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a submission to the National Human Rights Consultation entitled Engage, Educate, Empower: Measures to Promote and Protect Human Rights [PDF] [Word].
The Engage, Educate, Empower submission considers a range of measures to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights in Australia and responds primarily to the [...]
Compliance with obligations arising under both international and domestic human rights laws requires effective monitoring systems.
Currently, Australia is subject to periodic review by UN treaty bodies established under each of the ICCPR, ICESCR, CAT, CRPD, CEDAW and CERD. These reviews provide an opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of the state of human rights in Australia [...]
The UN Human Rights Committee has released its Concluding Observations following a review of Australia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committee’s recommendations on Australia are the first since 2000 and an important test for the Rudd Government in light of its Security Council bid and its stated commitment to [...]
The UN Human Rights Committee will review the state of human rights in Australia in March 2009 in New York.
On 16 and 23 March, the Committee will be briefed by a coalition of leading Australian human rights organisations, including the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Amnesty International. On [...]
On 5 February 2009, the Senate ordered the review of Australia’s judicial system, the role of judges and access to justice.
The Human Rights Law Resource Centre’s Submission to the Access to Justice Inquiry analyses and discusses the Terms of Reference with particular reference to the right to a fair hearing, as enshrined in art 14 of [...]
In February 2009, the HRLRC made a Submission in response to a Corrections Regulations Exposure Draft 2009 (Vic) released by Corrections Victoria. The current Corrections Regulations 1998 are due to sunset in May 2009. The Proposed Regulations, together with a Regulatory Impact Statement, were released for public comment on 22 January 2009.
The submission addresses aspects of [...]
On 8 May 2008 the Minister for Health announced a review of the Mental Health Act 1986 (Vic). In December 2008 a Consultation Paper designed to stimulate discussion and raise key issues was released.
This submission by the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Dignity, Equality, Freedom and Respect: A Human Rights-Based Approach to Mental Health [Word] [PDF], focuses [...]
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