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Rights and Freedoms
14 July 2015SpeechWhat are the proper limits on the power of Parliament?
Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues - thank you for your welcome to this Law Institute of Victoria seminar. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I will always have a soft spot for the Law Institute of Victoria. I was admitted to practice in 1969 after completing my articles with Williams Winter and Higgs, and… -
Legal
14 December 2012WebpageCommission Submission: Ashmore
1. The Coroner has jurisdiction, relevantly, "to investigate a death". See s 19(1) of the Coroner's Act 1996 (CI) (the Act). Also see the definition of "investigation" in s 3 and ss 8, 25(1) - (3), 27(3) - (5), 44(2), 46(2) and 50 of the Act. Cf s 6(1) of the Coroner's Act 1920 (CI) which limited the jurisdiction of the Coroner, relevantly, "to inquire into the manner and… -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2004 : Introduction
This, my first report under s209 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA), is part of a larger project that commenced prior to my appointment as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner in July 2004. The project aims to investigate how native title can be utilised to improve the economic and social conditions of Indigenous peoples' lives. -
Age Discrimination
8 March 2016SpeechOlder Women's Network International Women's Day Conference
I start by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. To all of you here today at the OWN conference, happy International Women’s Day for 2016. It has always been my approach to International Women's Day to mark the things we as women have to celebrate. As older women in Australia at this time, we do have lot, and many of those causes for celebration are things that women in this… -
14 December 2012Book page
Building Regulation and access - an Australian view
Since the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force in March 1993 complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) have shown significant inconsistencies between anti-discrimination law and current building law in Australia . -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Submission - Mutual Assistance Review (2007)
1. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) makes this submission in response to the Attorney General’s Department (AGD) Discussion Paper on ‘A better mutual assistance system – a review of the Australia’s mutual assistance law and practice’ (the Discussion Paper). -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Mutual Assistance Review (2006)
1. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) makes this submission in response to the Attorney General’s Department (AGD) Discussion Paper on ‘A better mutual assistance system – a review of the Australia’s mutual assistance law and practice’ (the Discussion Paper). -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2007: Appendix 2
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Native Title Program – Guidelines for Support of Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs)1 -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Independent Interim Report on CEDAW
Para 29: The Committee encourages the State party to continue its efforts to tackle the persistent problem of violence against women and urges the State party to adopt national legislation and adopt, implement and adequately fund as a matter of urgency the National Action Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children, including a mechanism for independent monitoring. -
14 December 2012Book page
Corporate Responsibility - Developing principles on Resource Development on Indigenous land: Human Rights Based Approach to Mining on Aboriginal Land
Human rights constitute the ethical basis of the social contract between those who exercise power and accrue wealth, and those whose lives are affected by this exercise and accrual. Where such a relationship has no ethical basis and is inconsistent with human rights principles it is not a sustainable relationship. Coercion may prolong it for some time but this is costly to maintain and eventually… -
14 December 2012Book page
Same-Sex: Same Entitlements: Chapter 4
It is simple to remove discrimination against same-sex couples in laws conferring financial and work-related benefits: amend the definitions describing a couple to include same-sex and opposite-sex couples alike. -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Inquiry into the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws - Superannuation) Bill 2008
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) makes this submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in its Inquiry into the Same-Sex Relationships (Equal Treatment in Commonwealth Laws – Superannuation) Bill 2008 (the Bill). -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012SpeechEducation and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Des English Memorial Lecture
On 30 March 2007 I was waxing lyrical to my computer screen in Sydney. My words were not quite the same, but they had equal passion and determination. At 1.40 a.m. on that Saturday morning Sydney time, I was having a few glasses of wine and watching Australia line up with 80 other countries at the United Nations (UN) in New York, to sign that same Convention on the first day it was open for… -
Legal
14 December 2012Webpage
Temporary exemptions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
Section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (the Disability Discrimination Act) gives the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) the power to grant temporary exemptions from certain provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act. Section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act provides as follows. -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
The Tasmanian Government recognises the Federal Government's responsibilities for the management of immigration to Australia. During the last decade a policy of mandatory detention has been established for those who enter Australia without proper authority (an appropriate visa). A period of detention allows the Commonwealth Government to ensure that those unauthorised arrivals do not have a… -
Commission – General
14 December 2012SpeechA national approach to child rights
I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and to pay my respects to their elders both past and present. -
Disability Rights
14 December 2012Speech
Speeches: DON'T JUDGE WHAT I CAN DO BY WHAT YOU THINK I CAN'T
(These are speaking notes used by the Commissioner at a series of events in all Australian capitals as well as Alice Springs through March 2003. Speeches as delivered included acknowledgement of State and Territory anti-discrimination colleauges co-hosting forums in each case as well as guests from the disability community including those presenting personal accounts of use of the DDA.) -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2001: Chapter 3: Indigenous governance and community capacity-building
Last year’s Social Justice Report noted that to date there has been insufficient attention by governments to processes which ensure greater Indigenous participation and control over service design and delivery as part of an overall strategy to redress Indigenous disadvantage and economic marginalisation. I observed that: -
Age Discrimination
7 April 2022Speech
Local Government’s role in promoting active ageing and wellbeing
Explore a speech by the Age Discrimination Commissioner regarding local government's role in promoting active ageing and wellbeing. -
14 December 2012Book page
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
"There have been times in our history when Australia has been generous and open hearted and times when it has been very mean. In 1938 at the Evian Conference about dealing with Jewish and other refugees from Hitler, Australia took a flint hearted position, saying that we did not want to import Europe's problems, or to increase racial differences, and that refugees should get back in the…