Law and Policy – Page 49

Unraveling the Mystery of People Smuggling Networks

Much has been written about the complicity of people smugglers and their networks in transporting asylum seekers to Australian shores. In Australia, the arrival of “boat people” has generated intense political debate, especially since the Tampa incident in 2001. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described people smugglers as “engaged in the world’s most evil trade […]

Lecture – Nonviolent Resistance in the Middle East

Dr Stephen Zunes critically examined the wave of resistance to autocratic regimes that has engulfed the Middle East since late 2010 during a lecture presented by the Castan Centre for Human Rights on 19 March 2012. The lecture was held at the Monash Conference Centre. Dr Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the […]

Interview with Professor Zunes

Right Now’s Editor-in-Chief, André Dao, recently spoke to Professor Stephen Zunes, a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco. He is one of the world’s leading experts on non-violent resistance and has won recognition from the Peace and Justice Studies Association as their first Peace Scholar of the Year. We spoke to […]

Read & Rights Review: The Tall Man

On the 17th of April, Read & Rights will meet at LOOP to discuss the human rights issues in Chloe Hooper’s The Tall Man. Here’s our review. Please send yours to jess@rightnow.org.au. For more info about the event, please click here. Hurley had battle in his name, Cameron had doom in his. The bitter joke […]

Protecting Against Racial (or Religious?) Vilification

This article is part of our March theme, which focuses on an ongoing challenge to Australian society: Race & Discrimination. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. Australia is obliged under international human rights law to prohibit incitement to racial hatred (Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). The Commonwealth, […]

Human Trafficking and Ethnic Minorities: the Case of Burma

This article is part of our March theme, which focuses on an ongoing challenge to Australian society: Race & Discrimination. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. The trafficking of human beings has existed throughout the ages; in recent times transforming into an issue of global importance, touching the Asia-Pacific and indeed Australia directly. […]

Launch – Listening but not Hearing

This article is part of our March theme, which focuses on an ongoing challenge to Australian society: Race & Discrimination. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. On 27 February 2012, in a virtually empty House of Representatives, the Government’s Stronger Futures legislation was passed with little debate and no formal division. It is […]

A line of people in different colours

Editorial: Race & Discrimination

As the world celebrates and marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 2012, it’s worth looking at Australia’s record on racial discrimination. The issue has again been in the news as the AFL examines clubs’ recruitment policies towards Indigenous players. However, although the issue of race is often most prominent […]

Editorial: Positive News On The Charter But Baillieu Keeps Us Waiting

Yesterday, on 14 March 2012, the Baillieu Government released its response to the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee’s (SARC) review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006. The good news is that the Government does not intend to substantially weaken the Charter, which was a distinct possibility after SARC’s review essentially […]