The April 2008 edition of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre Bulletin includes:
- An opinion piece regarding a ‘Human Rights Approach to Immigration Law’ by David Manne, Co-ordinator and Principal Solicitor of the Refugee & Immigration Legal Centre
- News about Australia’s increased engagement with international human rights norms and mechanisms, including the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Human Rights Council
- Updates on the Victorian Charter of Rights, including a call for amendment of s 35 by a Supreme Court judge
- Updates on other Charters of Rights, including a summary of recent amendments to the ACT Human Rights Act and updates on the status of proposed Charters of Rights in Tasmania, WA and NSW
- Victorian Charter case notes, including in relation to freedom of expression (s 15) and the meaning of ‘public authority’ (s 4)
- Comparative law case notes on significant recent human rights decisions from the UK Court of Appeal (duties of police include duty to take positive action to protect and promote life; detention of prisoners for ‘public protection’; balance between media’s right to freedom of expression and child’s right to privacy) and the European Court of Human Rights (prohibition on ‘retrospective punishment’)
- Information about the Centre’s policy work, including in relation to the right to health of prisoners and asylum seekers and negotiation of an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Updates on the Centre’s casework and litigation, including in relation to education and dignity for children with disabilities and the Centre’s continued advocacy on behalf of an Australian man deported to Sweden
- Details of forthcoming human rights seminars and events
- Information about useful human rights resources, including recent additions to the Centre’s website
- Human rights jobs with the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office and the R E Ross Trust
- ‘If I were Attorney-General’ by Beth Midgley, a lawyer with Blake Dawson on secondment to the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Katherine
