This article is part of our October theme on disability rights. To read more on this topic, click here. Several years ago, a family friend suffered a brain aneurysm. A blood vessel in her brain exploded, resulting in a severe haemorrhage. One minute she was taking a cigarette break with her colleagues, the next she was […]
By Sonia Nair. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. It is year 2012. One-hundred and nineteen years after New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote, 66 years since the United Nations established a Commission on the Status […]
By Natalie Sambhi. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Of the Defence issues raised over the past 12 months, none has been more controversial than the government’s decision to lift a ban on gender discrimination in the military which means women are eligible to […]
By Beth Gaze. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. A poster by the UK Equal Opportunities Commission containing the slogan “prepare your daughter for the workforce: give her less pocket money than your son” dramatically highlights the fundamental unfairness facing women at work. Lack […]
By Emma Kerins. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. The 2012 London Games have come to an end. While Australia might not have done as well as expected, it would be fair to say that the Olympic Games captured not just the imaginations of […]
By Josie Swords. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and […]
By Zoya Patel. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. This article originally appeared on Zoya’s blog, The Coconut Chronicles. One topic I’ve always been a bit shy of writing about when it comes to cultural differences is the hijab. The hijab is essentially […]
By Holly Kendall. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. In 1983 Australia was one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This is to be expected of a liberal democracy that purports to uphold the […]
By Sylvia Frain. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Australia’s geographically unique location allows it to collaborate, share recourses, and partner with its neighbours for development across Asia and the Pacific Region. Recently Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, launched the “Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development” initiative, further strengthening […]
By Blue Mahy. On the 28 August 2012, the ‘No to Homophobia’ campaign, which aims to put an end to the harassment and discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) people, was officially launched by Victorian Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge at Victoria’s Parliament House. This campaign is the result of collaboration […]
By David Donaldson. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Notwithstanding the claims of various conservative commentators, feminism is, of course, not monolithic. It’s a broad range of ideas about the empowerment of women, and feminists do not always agree about what that means. For […]
By Michelle Kotevski. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Human rights theatre”, “political theatre” or “socially aware theatre” are not new genres in the Australian theatrical landscape. Whilst we do not seem to have a huge history or appetite for these genres they do […]