It is a Saturday night at a comedy show. An overweight, beer drinking, crude male takes a dig at his wife. His presence on the stage is domineering and aggressive. The audience is in hysterics; compelled by the group, I manage a laboured self-conscious giggle. I am channel surfing and an ad for channel 7’s […]
One of the most problematic areas of international human rights law is the right to culture. It is ambiguous, yet the right to culture manifests itself in many aspects of each individual’s daily life. The right to culture provides equality to all members of society, allowing them to freely practice their culture. Further, it prevents […]
Could you live on $2 a day? Given a single morning coffee costs around twice that much, it is almost unimaginable for most of us. Yet 1.3 billion people – that’s almost 60 times the population of Australia – currently live in extreme poverty, on less than AUD$2 a day. … as people rise above the […]
Arts Centre Melbourne presented Singing Stories in association with Multiculturalism Australia at the Famous Spiegeltent earlier this month on Saturday 12 April. Featured artists included SistaNative, a Tongan heritage orator and singer; Paulo and Gill, an East Timorese duo taking a fresh look at traditional folk music; Saritah, a South Korean born singer who has […]
This article is part of our April and May theme: the relationship between art and human rights – a topic very close to our hearts. If this interests you, take a look at our “Art” category to the left of this page, or click here for past publications of artwork and reviews. What does theatre have […]
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. People assume a lot of things about those who are racially marked and considered different from their own. Ways of being part of a community, for example. […]
The ‘Stop the Boats’ rhetoric in national politics, vilification of public figures of ethnic backgrounds and evidence that AFL recruiters only hire indigenous players with at least one white parent are markers that racial discrimination and intolerance continue to underline the fabric of Australia’s society. But how prejudiced is Australia when placed on a global […]
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 Federal Government appears no closer to defining a clear vision of Australia’s migration strategy despite numerous policy changes throughout 2011. While the Government engineers our migration […]
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. Anyone living in Australia who keeps up with current affairs would have noticed a recent increase in the amount of discussion around racism in both mainstream and […]
He is a creature known to the Aboriginal people in Southeast Australia. Though shy by nature, at night he would snatch children that stray from their camp. Thus he is in some ways their protector; with his fiery red eyes scaring them out of midnight wanders. He was bought to Melbourne by artist Steaphan Paton […]
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. In January 2012, the Australian Government released the draft Ten Year Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform (the Roadmap). While its stated aim […]
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. What challenges do prisoners with mental or cognitive impairments face when they are released back into society? Securing suitable employment has emerged as […]
