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Children and human rights abuses: coming to an international stage?
By Paula Gerber For the first time, children will soon be able to bring complaints of human rights violations to the United Nations. Although the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child has been in operation since 1990, there has not been a mechanism for children to bring a complaint that a government is…
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Guest Blog: National pride and national unity: why we should get rid of the racial discrimination in our Constitution
By Shireen Morris Australia Day is a day of national pride and national unity – isn’t it? On this day in 1788 Captain Phillip stuck his flag in the sand at Sydney Cove and declared the land British territory, ignoring the people who already lived here. Terra nullius denied Indigenous existence, or at least denied…
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Queensland’s voter ID laws likely to disenfranchise Indigenous Australians
By Marius Smith Proposed new “voter ID” laws in Queensland are likely to prevent some Indigenous Australians from exercising their right to vote, according to a new submission to Queensland’s Parliament by our Deputy Director Paula Gerber. The new law – which will require all voters to produce proof of identity at polling booths –…
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Explainer: the legal implications of ‘tow-backs’
By Azadeh Dastyari Australia has been engaging in “tow-backs” of asylum-seeker boats. This has involved intercepting boats carrying asylum seekers at sea, before they reach Australia, and forcing them to return to Indonesia. It has also emerged that Australia entered Indonesian territorial waters during at least some of these “tow-backs”. Indonesia has responded strongly, stating…
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Human Rights and International Law (24): 20 Years Ago, Dallaire Sent His “Genocide Fax”
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Tim Wilson, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and “balancing” human rights
by Sarah Joseph (this post was originally published by The Drum on 19 December) Tim Wilson, former policy director for right-wing think-tank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), has been appointed as the human rights commissioner. His remit will be in the area of “freedom”, focusing particularly on freedom of speech. Attorney-General George Brandis explained…
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law 