Law and Policy – Page 53

Photo of US Consul General to Melbourne, Michael Thurston

Corporate social responsibility and the right to connect

On Friday 22 July 2011, Monash University’s Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Annual Conference was held in Melbourne. US Consul General Michael Thurston addressed the topic ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and the Right to Connect’. Following the speech RightNow editor Vince Chadwick spoke with Michael Thurston at the US Consulate. RN: What is the ‘right […]

Photo of a protest against Serco in Brisbane

Serco faces renewed scrutiny over poor refugee care

Serco, the private contractor hired by the Australian government to run immigration detention facilities, has come under renewed criticism following reports claiming that refugees are receiving insufficient care. In early May, a fiery group of protestors lined the front of Serco’s headquarters in central Melbourne. The rally was the latest in a series of protests […]

Community consultation on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

29 July 2011 This week, the ACT Attorney-General, Mr Simon Corbell, launched community consultation and called for submissions on the question of whether the protection of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) should be included in the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT). The consultation process forms part of the ACT government’s response to the research […]

Australia and Malaysia sign asylum seeker deal

26 July 2011 Yesterday the Australian and Malaysian governments officially signed the agreement to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in exchange for 4000 United Nation verified refugees. Human rights and refugee advocates have expressed concern that the agreement will not provide protection for those refugees going to Malaysia and is in breach of the […]

Immigration detention system in breach of international human rights obligations

22 July 2011 Mandatory detention, the continued detention of children and prolonged detention have led to the most serious breaches of the human rights of refugees in Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission President, Catherine Branson QC said yesterday, at a public lecture in Sydney. Australia’s strict immigration regime continues to breach international obligations particularly […]

Public Hearing on the Review of the Victorian Human Rights Charter

20 July 2011 This week the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee (SARC) has been holding public hearings into the review of the Victorian Human Rights Charter, with the Victorian Human Rights Commission and the Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) telling the parliamentary committee that Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 […]

“Separate but equal” insufficient for marriage equality

So what’s all the fuss with marriage equality? In Australia, the “gay marriage” issue has continued to saturate media and political debate. For some, marriage serves an inherent religious or procreative purpose, for others it is a basic human right that should be open to all couples. Since 2008, de facto recognition has operated to […]

Free Speech Campaign for Lex Wotton

11 July 2011 This month marks a year since the release of Lex Wotton, a respected Palm Island Aboriginal leader, who was jailed for his role in a protest following the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee. As part of his parole conditions Wotton is under a gag order, which prevents him from speaking to […]

Books—2048: Humanity’s Agreement to Live Together

The year 2048 will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and what will we have to show for it? J. Kirk Boyd provides an answer in his book 2048: Humanity’s Agreement to Live Together, in which he proposes the drafting and implementation of an International Convention on Human Rights, supported […]