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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. Apologies are recognised in Australian law as a legitimate form of redress for individuals who suffer as a result of racial discrimination. Apologies also serve the public […]
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 1960s and 70s was a time of heightened awareness and action in the Western world about the harms of racial inequality and segregation. In the United […]
On 17 February 2012, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered the 2012 Peter Brett Memorial Lecture at Melbourne Law School. The talk focused on two upcoming milestones. Mrs Bensouda will assume the role of Chief Prosecutor from the middle of the year, having been deputy prosecutor since 2004. She […]
Between 4–16 February, Amnesty International, headed by Amnesty’s Refugee Spokesperson, Dr Graham Thom, visited Curtin, Perth, Christmas Island, Northern and Wickham Point detention facilities. Alex Pagliaro was a member of the delegation who spoke directly with asylum seekers, immigration officials and detention centre staff during the visits. RN: Hello, thanks for giving us the opportunity to […]
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons – Dostoevsky, The House of the Dead Prisons run by private companies are now part of many justice systems around the world. Archaic signs reading ‘Her Majesty’s Prison’ are far from the emerging reality of modern, for-profit facilities. State and Federal […]
This article is part of our February theme, which focuses on one of the great silences in the human rights conversation in Australia: Prisoners’ Rights. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. There was scarring covering her arms, her legs and some on her face. Her lips were swollen. Burns to her arms, possibly from […]
This article is part of our February theme, which focuses on one of the great silences in the human rights conversation in Australia: Prisoners’ Rights. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which Australia is a signatory, came into effect in 2008. Its […]
Right Now’s Adelaide Rief spoke with Georgia Davis, Amy Sinclair and Stefanie Schweiger, students at ANU College of Law who have been a part of the Prison Issues Project, an initiative of the College’s Law Reform and Social Justice program. Right Now: It would be great if you could start by explaining a little bit […]
Anniversary is a strange word to apply to Guantanamo Bay. Once used to mark the death of saints, we now use it to celebrate the birth of nations, people and (usually) cheerful relationships and events. There is nothing remotely celebratory, however, about the anniversary of Guantanamo Bay; and its having remained open now for 10 […]
