Mick Gooda is a descendent of the Gangulu people of central Queensland. Prior to taking up the position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick was the Chief Executive Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health for almost five and a half years. Commissioner Gooda has been actively involved in […]
On Wednesday night, 27 June 2012, a Private Member’s Bill to amend the Migration Act proposed by Independent Member of Parliament Rob Oakeshott passed the Lower House of Parliament after an extended and emotional debate. The drama in the House of Representative is the latest in an ongoing story, brought to a head by the news […]
Samaya Chanthaphavong interviewed Aloysia Brooks, founder of the Justice Campaign which calls upon the Australian government to enact federal human rights legislation, and to open an independent and public investigation into David Hicks’ detention and conviction by the Guantanamo military commission. Aloysia Brooks is a human rights and social justice advocate who campaigns for the […]
This article is part of our June theme, which focuses on Indigenous People and their human rights. Read our Editorial for more on this theme. Comments on the You Me Unity Expert Panel Report on recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. In November 2010, the federal government established an Expert Panel to consider options for amending […]
“When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.” Whenever I convince someone to read this book, I can think of no easier way than to quote its opening sentence. Hitler is right there, second word, so you know it’s not going to be an overly cheerful read. But the fact that our narrator, […]
In May, Read and Rights discussed What is the What by Dave Eggers, a book which explores the human rights abuses in Sudan and the discrimination faced by the Sudanese Diaspora. Sonia Nair spoke to Sophie Tolich from SAIL (Sudanese Australia Integrated Learning) about how they are aiding Sudanese immigrants through literacy and community programs. […]
As rallies are held world wide to show support for Julian Assange, who recently lost his fight against extradition to Sweden and will possibly appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, Samaya Chanthaphavong spoke to David Campbell, president of the Pirate Party Australia on Wikileaks, Julian Assange and internet freedom as a human right. […]
Refugee advocate Julian Burnside AO QC recently opened two exhibitions at RMIT Gallery, Melbourne addressing the ongoing plight of Afghani refugees. The collections express two interlinked, yet distinct understandings of Afghani people. The first exhibition, Unsafe Haven: Hazaras in Afghanistan, depicts the systematic religious and ethnic persecution of Hazara people in light of the Australian […]
In the second half of the 1970s, Indonesia’s war against the people of East Timor caused the largest loss of life relative to population since the Holocaust. Reputable and widely used demographic techniques have shown that 30 per cent of East Timor’s population died during the war. What did the Australian Government know about the catastrophe in […]
Today, in an interview with the ABC, US President Barack Obama declared his support for marriage equality – the legality of same-sex marriages. The move, coming six months before he stands for re-election, is the latest in a series of political steps in that direction. Six months ago, late in 2011, witnessed a beginning of […]
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 […]
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 […]