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Senator Anning: undermining the Constitution and our history
By Patrick Emerton The most fundamental principle of the Australian Constitution is that the people are the bedrock of the political community. The preamble records that it was the people who “agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth”. It is the people who choose the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Because government ministers…
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Roseanne’s implosion: when art, freedom of speech and social media collide
By Sarah Joseph Another one bites the dust. In posting a racist tweet that resulted in the US network ABC summarily cancelling her show, Roseanne Barr joins a long line of people who have blown up their career with a social media post. And, as is always the case with such episodes, a prominent strand…
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Are white farmers in South Africa refugees? Giving Protection to those in need.
By Maria O’Sullivan The Minister Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, announced last week that the government is considering giving visas to white farmers from South Africa on the basis that they are ‘persecuted’. The Minister noted that Australia has refugee, humanitarian and other visa programs which have the ‘potential to help some of these people’ and…
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Joint Statement of Support for Adam Goodes
Today, a coalition of organisations has endorsed a statement in support of Sydney Swans player and former Australian of the Year Adam Goodes. The statement was prepared by the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, the Australian Human Rights Commission and ANTaR. The Castan Centre is proud to be one of the endorsing organisations. The full text…
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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…
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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.…
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law 
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