Disability Rights
National Local Roads and Transport Congress
Read a speech that highlights the importance of transport that is inclusive of people with disabilities so they can participate in all aspects of life.
News
Disability Rights
Disability Rights
The DDA and its impact in the area of Education
Perhaps it's just because I'm getting older, but I increasingly have the feeling that Australia is becoming a more sentimental and nostalgic nation. We have a Prime Minister whose vision for us is to be relaxed and comfortable. And many of us spent last night - after watching the final stages of the Australian cricket juggernaut's comprehensive winning of the ashes for the eighth time in a row - watch a bunch of old blokes who used to be rock and roll singers showing us that it was a long way to the top. Haven't we got anything more exciting to do than that?
Commission – General
President speech: Human Rights, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
I would like to begin this morning by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Sex Discrimination
Work Life Balance: AIM Breakfast
I hope you’re all enjoying your hot breakfasts and are extremely grateful for them. For a couple of reasons: First- you didn’t have to cook them yourself, or, to be more precise, wash up all the dirty frying pans yourself. This is because you are working and you don’t have time to cook hot breakfasts for a particularly fussy group of consumers, your family.
Rights and Freedoms
Australian Lawyers Alliance Conference (2009)
As lawyers who work every day with ordinary people, you will all have first hand experience of the value that we, in Australia, place on human rights. You will also be acutely aware of the significant gaps in human rights protection in Australia.
Rights and Freedoms
USING THE LAW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Graeme Innes AM (2007)
Scarlett Finney was only six when she saw the brochures for the Hills Grammar School, set in park-like grounds in Sydney's outer suburbs. She indicated her keenness to attend "the school in the bush". Her parents were prepared to pay the fees, and saw the setting and curriculum as providing her with a great education. But the school refused her enrolment due to the fact that she had spina bifida, and sometimes used a wheelchair [1].
Rights and Freedoms
Human Rights in the Asia Pacific Region
It is my pleasure to report to you today on the outcome of deliberations of the Working Group on Human Rights Education. This working group was relatively small in size but very diverse and robust in its deliberations. It consisted of representatives of Arabic countries, including the host country Qatar as well as Japan, the Philippines and Australia.
Rights and Freedoms
"Asylum Seekers": Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM (2002)
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Worimi people who are the traditional owners of this land and a timely reminder that we are all immigrants to this vast continent.
Rights and Freedoms
Rural youth suicide: convention, context and cure: Chris Sidoti (1999)
Every suicide of a young person is not an isolated, individualised event. Certainly it robs the young person of his or her promised future. But it also traumatises the family, the friends, the school or workmates and, especially in a rural or remote community, the entire community. Every suicide of a young person speaks volumes of weeks, months, even years of confusion, alienation, hopelessness and despair leading up to the final and fatal event.
Commission – General
President Speech: ‘Women as Agents of Change’: Balancing the scales
I would like to begin by also acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. I pay my respects to their elders past and present. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the inspirational work of so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have been agents of change, be they barristers, lawyers, judges, litigants or community advocates.
Commission – General
President speeches: Speech at Annual UNAA Day Dinner
I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Kaurna people, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
Commission – General
Creating Fairness and Equality in the Workplace
It is now 12 months since the introduction of WorkChoices radically restructured Australia’s industrial relations system. Today, I propose to reflect on the implications of WorkChoices for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and to outline reforms HREOC believes are necessary to safeguard fairness and equality in the workplace.
Commission – General
Society of University Lawyers
When I was invited to give this address, my first thought was to talk about unlawful discrimination in the context of higher education and, in particular, disability discrimination.
Commission – General
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Set against the wreckage and the unthinkable horror of the Second World War, the Declaration was something of a phoenix rising from the ashes, a document which sought to rekindle a human dignity which had been gravely debased in the preceding ten years.
If you feel uncomfortable, or like something is wrong, it’s really important you get help. Something not feeling right could mean that a person or an organisation isn’t playing by the rules when it comes to your rights. Let’s step through who you can turn to when children’s rights aren’t being respected.
I need help right now
If you feel unsafe or like something bad is happening to you right now, there are people who can help you straight away.
- Call 000 to get help from the police, an ambulance or fire brigade.
- Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or use their webchat to speak to someone who will listen to your worries, and give you options for support.
- Tell an adult you can trust.
Know your rights
The first step in figuring out whether your rights have been disrespected is to know what they are in the first place. As a child in Australia, you have lots of rights. Like:
- the right to be treated fairly
- the right to have a say about decisions affecting you
- the right to live and grow up healthy
- the right to be safe no matter where you are
- the right to get an education
- the right to play and have fun!
If you want to find out more about your rights, we’ve got a page just for that.
Reach out to an adult you can trust
A good place to start if you feel like something is wrong is to speak to an adult you can trust - someone who will listen, believe and help you.
The first person you talk to may not be the right person so it’s okay to keep telling other safe people in your life until you have been heard, believed, and someone helps you.
Get help from a service you can trust
There are places in the community you can get help from if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to an adult you know. The best place to turn to depends on if:
- you’re worried about yourself or another young person you know.
- or you’re worried about all children in Australia.
I’m worried about myself or another child I know
You can chat to these services for free, and what you say is private. You don’t even have to tell them your name if you don’t want to.
You can talk to them about anything—no matter how big or small it seems.
- Kids Helpline: Call 1800 55 1800, or use their webchat.
- Lifeline: Call 13 11 14, text them on 0477 13 11 14, or chat to them online.
- Headspace: Call 1800 650 890.
Make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission
You can make a complaint to us for different reasons. For example, if you think:
- you have been treated unfairly because of your age, race, disability or sex.
- other rights, like your right to be heard or be safe, have been ignored.
We can investigate and try to help solve it. Making a complaint is free and open to anyone anywhere in Australia. Find out more about how to make a complaint.
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