By Dr Scott Hollier. This article is part of our October focus on Disability Rights. The Australian Government has been working hard over the past two years to ensure that all federal and most state government websites meet the minimal Level “A” requirement of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by the end of this […]
This article is a guest post from the Chairperson of our Board, Lizzie O’Shea. The Apollo Theatre in Harlem was jammed full of people for the recent US Presidential candidate debate. A community forum preceded the televised event, with local activists of all persuasions. Insightful questions were thrown to the panel from the floor and […]
By Professor Bernadette McSherry. This article is part of our October focus on Disability Rights. Read more about this topic here. People with severe mental and intellectual disabilities have traditionally had decisions made for them about where they should live, what medical treatment they should have and how their money should be spent. The era of institutionalisation […]
By Blair Morris. This article is part of our October theme on disability rights. To read more on this topic, click here. Medicating people with disabilities and elderly people is a contentious issue, particularly in situations that involve aggression. Some experts argue that medication can have a calming effect, and may help to “normalise” the individual. […]
By Holly Kendall. This article is part of our October theme on disability rights. To read more on this topic, click here. Disability isn’t something we like to think about. People with a disability have complex needs that society struggles to meet. There is no magic solution. Disability reminds us that we are vulnerable. Anyone of […]
By Sam Ryan I hadn’t planned to buy a copy of The No-Nonsense Guide to Human Rights when I attended the book’s launch at the Melbourne Writers Festival in September. The launch barely touched on the book, but the speeches, discussing a similar range of human rights issues, somehow inspired me to do so. My […]
By Vaughn Rogers The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (the Declaration) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September 2007. Australia, along with the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, opposed the Declaration at the time of its adoption, but Australia subsequently endorsed it in April 2009. […]
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 […]
Julie McKay is the Executive Director at UN Women Australia (formerly UNIFEM Australia) and advocates on significant global issues affecting women including political participation, leadership, pay equity, gender-based violence and social inequality. Right Now’s Chloé Potvin spoke with Julie McKay to discuss her perspectives on the current challenges facing women in Australia and the Pacific […]
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 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 Lydia Jebakumar. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Oh my darling, you have to be stronger than razor wire. I try, Mum. I try.” “Detention is the deliberate policy of the Australian Parliament, repeatedly affirmed. In default of a constitutional basis for invalidation, it […]
