By Josie Swords. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and […]
By Zoya Patel. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. This article originally appeared on Zoya’s blog, The Coconut Chronicles. One topic I’ve always been a bit shy of writing about when it comes to cultural differences is the hijab. The hijab is essentially […]
By Holly Kendall. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. In 1983 Australia was one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This is to be expected of a liberal democracy that purports to uphold the […]
By Sylvia Frain. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Australia’s geographically unique location allows it to collaborate, share recourses, and partner with its neighbours for development across Asia and the Pacific Region. Recently Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, launched the “Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development” initiative, further strengthening […]
By David Donaldson. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Notwithstanding the claims of various conservative commentators, feminism is, of course, not monolithic. It’s a broad range of ideas about the empowerment of women, and feminists do not always agree about what that means. For […]
By Michelle Kotevski. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Human rights theatre”, “political theatre” or “socially aware theatre” are not new genres in the Australian theatrical landscape. Whilst we do not seem to have a huge history or appetite for these genres they do […]
By Lydia Jebakumar. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. “Oh my darling, you have to be stronger than razor wire. I try, Mum. I try.” “Detention is the deliberate policy of the Australian Parliament, repeatedly affirmed. In default of a constitutional basis for invalidation, it […]
By Sam Ryan. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. As a male who supports women’s rights, I’ve wondered at times whether I’d be classified as a feminist. I support the cause, but it’s not my fight, right? Clementine Ford’s Wheeler Centre Lunchtime/Soapbox speech, ‘We’re […]
By Dr Leslie Cannold. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. A number of years ago I joined with thousands of activists and concerned citizens to change abortion law in Victoria. After more than 143 years, and after a long political fight, the crime of […]
By Claire Varley. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. For almost two years I lived in a small village on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific. Here I worked with some of the most inspiring women in the world. Women like […]
Police accused of racial profiling Concerns are mounting over African and Muslim communities being unfairly targeted by police in street patrols. Tamar Hopkins, a lawyer from the Flemington and Kensington Legal Centre in Melbourne’s inner-west, says that the police may actually be breaking the law themselves if they are in fact racial profiling. Sydney based […]
By David Donaldson. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. See all of this month’s articles here. Abortion law in Australia is up to the states; accordingly, state laws vary. Victoria and the ACT have the most liberal legislation on this issue, Queensland the strictest. Thankfully, the issue is not as polarising […]