9 September 2011 Yesterday, the High Court of Australia handed down an historic decision in the case of Momcilovic v The Queen (2011) reaffirming the importance of the Victorian Human Rights Charter and held that it “protects fundamental human rights and maintains parliamentary sovereignty.” In the case, Vera Momcilovic appealed against her conviction for drug […]
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 […]
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 […]
5 July 2011 In their submission to the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee Inquiry (SARC) and review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) has revealed the important role that the Charter plays in safeguarding and protecting human rights. The Charter, which came into effect on […]
DATE: 15 June 2011 The Victorian Equal Opportunity Amendment Bill passed the Upper House of the Victorian Parliament earlier this morning, following five hours of debate. The changes to the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act introduced by the Bailleu Government was defeated in parliament when Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge missed the vote, the first time […]
DATE: 26 May 2011 The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay has reiterated long-standing concerns by the international community that Australia’s mandatory immigration detention regime is in breach of Australia’s international human rights obligations and criticised racist and inhumane elements within Australia. In a press conference held yesterday, as part of a six-day visit […]
DATE: 13 MAY 2011 Amnesty International has criticized Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and indigenous issues in its 2011 World Report, which has been released today. The chapter on Australia highlights the Federal government’s refugee policy and its impact on asylum seekers with mandatory, long term detention and poor conditions in detention facilities putting a large […]
DATE: 27 April 2011 The Law Council has released a progress report on the implementation of the Australian Government’s Human Rights Framework. The Law Council of Australia says that the framework appears to be making a positive difference in raising awareness about human rights in the community. In a media release Law Council of Australia […]
That Australia is the only democracy in the world without a law to protect human rights is not a situation that can persist forever. So thinks most of the community. As far as our parliament is concerned, it has been very slow to respond to the need to legislate better protection of rights, in particular […]
On the evening of 11 December 2008, fifteen year-old Tyler Cassidy was shot and killed by police during a confrontation at a skate park in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote. A coronial inquest into the incident is currently in progress. This follows an internal investigation by Victoria Police in which Assistant-Commissioner Stephen Fontana found the […]