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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

The National Apology to the Stolen Generations one year on (2009)

I acknowledge the traditional owners of the Wurundjeri country, the land where we are meeting today, and thank Joy Murphy Wandin for her warm welcome to country. I pay my respects to your elders and to those who have come before us. I would also like to thank the Wunsyaluv dancers for the dances they have performed for us today.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Speech: 6th Indigenous Environmental Health Workers Conference

I begin by acknowledging the Gimiy Walubara Yidinji people, the traditional owners of the land where we meet today, and paying my respects to their elders. I also thank the National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum, the Conference Organising Group and Queensland Health for organising this event and inviting me to open this conference. And thank you to Shane Nicolls for his opening words and introduction.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of Cairns, the land where we meet today, and to pay my respects to their elders. I would also like to thank the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and Professor Ernest Hunter for organising this event and inviting me to open this very important conference.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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I call my paper 'Social Justice Then Native Title' in order to make a clear distinction between two aspects of Indigenous People's struggle; the ultimate goals we are seeking to achieve and the means by which we seek to achieve them. Distinguishing the means and the ends, the former a servant of the latter, is a fundamental tenet of strategic thinking. And it is clear to me that a strategic approach will identify native title as simply a tool for achieving social justice for Indigenous people.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Geography at the Millenium: Dr Bill Jonas (1999)

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Eora people, the traditional owners, custodians and kinsfolk of the land where this conference is being held.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Australian Electoral Commission Workshop

Welcome all of you to HREOC and to this workshop run by the Australian Electoral Commission. May I particularly thank Deputy Electoral Commissioner Andy Becker and his staff for making this process available today.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

RIGHTS DENIED (2009)

I also want to thank Bill Shorten for being with us, and acknowledge the energy and leadership he is providing on disability issues within Government, both on specific issues and on the big picture cross government and inter-governmental issues.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Spinning an Accessible Web

One day during the Christmas school holidays, my nine-year-old daughter came into the loungeroom, where I was relaxing with a glass of Scotch, and said: "Dad, the window won't pop up -- you have to come and fix it".

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Human rights for people with intellectual disabilities in Australia: where to from here?

I will not speak in detail about human rights conventions and disability because this topic is addressed by my co-speaker in this session, Karl Lachwitz. I will say though that international human rights law and human rights debate has not yet acknowledged adequately or sufficiently clearly that people with a disability are part of what the "human" in human rights means. Equally, there has not always been enough attention to human rights dimensions in disability discourse.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

1996 Kenneth Jenkins Oration

I am honoured and delighted to be here to deliver the Kenneth Jenkins Oration. My participation continues the involvement of members of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission with this event.

Category, Speech
Commission – General

10th International Criminal Congress

The topic of this seminar is ‘Criminal Justice in a climate of fear’. The word terrorism is not mentioned and yet the subject invites discussion of the impact of terrorism on life and laws in Australia.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

Human Rights: Universal and Inalienable

I'm very pleased to be speaking to you today. I'm especially encouraged that so many young people have put aside a weekend to think about, and talk about, human rights.

Category, Speech

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