Here are some of the top human rights new stories from the past week -
- The Federal Government accused of ignoring international human rights conventions by deciding to deport a Sydney Muslim Shia cleric due to an adverse ASIO security finding: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/17/2902016.htm
- Damning international report rejects the Rudd government’s assertion that it is now safe for Tamil asylum-seekers to return home: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/report-damns-tamil-returns/story-e6frg6n6-1225867936319
- Refugee advocates say at least nine asylum seekers returned to Sri Lanka by the Howard government were killed and those sent back in past year have been detained by police and some assaulted: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/19/2903429.htm
- Drug reform groups and the ACT Greens push for a needle exchange program to be set-up at Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie prison in order to help prevent hepatitis C transmissions: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/19/2903220.htm
- Asylum seekers may be housed in Darwin caravan parks in the future, says the Federal Government: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/21/2905409.htm
- Gay activist Gary Burns tells Sydney’s Administrative Decisions Tribunal that a skit on Channel Nine’s Footy Show vilified homosexuals by implying they are faulty: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/19/2903652.htm
- Victoria’s Chief Justice Marilyn Warren calls on state and federal governments to increase legal aid, warning that neglecting legal aid funding forces the legal profession to provide a just legal system: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/top-judge-calls-for-increase-in-legal-aid-funds-20100520-vowv.html
- Relaxed privacy laws to allow Australian police access to the identities of half a million foreign students in order to research the instance of racially motivated attacks: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/study-to-look-at-race-in-attacks-20100519-vf8h.html
- Figures released by the Bureau of Statistics show that the wage gap between men and women has widened to levels not seen since the mid 1990s: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/fight-to-close-wage-gap-keeps-going-backwards-20100520-vpdv.html
- The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby dismisses claims by controversial AFL player Jason Akermanis that professional footballers aren’t able to deal with openly gay players: http://www.news.com.au/national/jason-akermanis-wrong-about-football-codes-and-gay-players-says-gay-and-lesbian-rights-group/story-e6frfkw0-1225869112311
