-
Is liking something on Facebook ‘protected political speech’?
If you’re a public servant, just liking a post on Facebook or Twitter could be a problem (Picture: Soze Soze/Shutterstock) By Melissa Castan Australians are often surprised to learn that their Constitution contains no right to free speech. Even the right to political speech, which is constitutionally implied, is increasingly complicated by new online platforms…
-
Freedom, the sublime and the patriotic
Speech to Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Gala Dinner by Keynote Speaker Dr Tim Soutphommasane, Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner During the past year or so, I have been constantly asked two questions with unerring predictability. One: Should the Racial Discrimination Act be amended? Two: How is everyone getting along at the Australian Human Rights…
-
Freeing the RDA ‘Free Speech’ submissions
Some submissions on the proposed amendments to S18C & D, Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth): by Melissa Castan The Australian Government is currently considering amendments to section 18C and D of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, and in March 2014 called for submissions on an exposure draft (available here). It has been estimated that over 5000…
-
Rights to bigotry and green lights to hate
By Sarah Joseph, Monash University AAP/Stefan Postles Poor George Brandis. Our Attorney-General seems to have wedged himself on the issue of racial vilification. Soon after the election of the Abbott government, Senator Brandis defiantly declared that repeal of Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act would be his first task as Australia’s first law officer.…
-
Freedom of Speech Going Backwards in Vietnam
By Andrew Nguyen On September 24, 2012 — exactly 30 years to the day after Vietnam became a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights — three Vietnamese bloggers were convicted and sentenced to lengthy jail terms for “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” after a short trial that lasted only a…
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law 
You must be logged in to post a comment.