Race Discrimination
In October 1975, at a ceremony for the proclamation of the Racial Discrimination Act, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam described the legislation as ‘a historic measure’, which aimed to ‘entrench new attitudes of tolerance and understanding in the hearts and minds of the people’.(1) The Act was...
Rights and Freedoms
Introduction Thank you. It is a great pleasure to attend the Australian Libertarian Society’s Third Friedman Conference. I’d like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of Tim Andrews and John Humphrey for bringing this important conference together. I’d also like to acknowledge the previous speaker...
Children's Rights
YMCA 2015 National Children’s Services Conference Moonee Valley Racing Club, Victoria Saturday 21 March 2015 Introduction Good morning and thank you for the introduction. I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, the Wurundjeri people of the...
Rights and Freedoms
National Press Club, Wednesday, 18th February 2015 - Why freedom matters
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Social Justice and Native Title Report 2014 Launch by Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
Rights and Freedoms
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...
Children's Rights
Read a speech by the Children's Commissioner that highlights the importance of including the views of students when defining the rights of children.
Children's Rights
1. Introduction and Acknowledgements Good morning everyone and thank you to Claire for the introduction. Before I begin I too would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we gather on today; the Ngunnawal people and pay respects to elders past and present. I would also like to thank...
Disability Rights
(check against delivery) I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. I do so not as a formulaic beginning, but as a sincere recognition of the place which the land holds in the lives and culture of our first Australians. I saw much of the disadvantage Aboriginal people experience during my...
Children's Rights
While I believe most Australians wish for children in this country an equal chance at life - an opportunity to not just survive but to thrive - and to be free from violence, abuse and neglect, it is, perhaps, less understood or acknowledged that this opportunity is also the right of every Australian child.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
The title of this morning’s session is ‘Recognition of Aboriginal people in the Constitution and the possibility of Aboriginal advancement’. Without a doubt, I see constitutional recognition as a pathway for advancement. I have said again and again, that is it is a real nation building opportunity and the benefits will extend to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and non-Australians alike. It is a journey that will mark our maturity as an inclusive, just nation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about politics and human rights. As you would know there is a lot of discussion about human rights in the political debate at the moment, which is a great thing because human rights is not something that many Australian’s feel is relevant to them.
Children's Rights
I thought I might begin today by sharing with you the words of a few of the young people I heard from during my national listening tour last year.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Speech by Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner and Kirstie Parker, National Congress of Australia's First Peoples
Disability Rights
I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. Thanks for the chance to have this discussion this afternoon. It's a relatively small group so I hope it can be quite informal. We've just seen one of the films from the Australian Human Rights Commission's Twenty Years: Twenty Stories project. I...
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