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Sex Discrimination

Women in sport hit the grass ceiling (2010)

The following opinion pieces have been published by the President and Commissioners. Reproduction of the opinion pieces must include reference to where the opinion piece was originally published.

Category, Opinion
Commission – General

President Speech: The role of the Australian Human Rights Commission in protecting and promoting human rights in Australia

I would like to begin by saying how delighted I am to be here speaking this evening about the work of the Australian Human Rights Commission. I hope also to learn more about the protection of human rights in Japan and about your proposal for a national human rights institution in Japan. This is my first time to Japan and I am thrilled to be here. I am grateful for all the work that has gone into the preparation for this session and for my visit. And I thank those who have looked after me so well since I arrived in your country.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

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Thank you for joining me here today to launch the Social Justice Report and Native Title Report for 2005. Both reports were tabled in the federal Parliament 6 weeks ago on 14 February 2006.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Advancing equality in education and beyond

Allow me to begin by acknowledging the people of the Wurundjeri nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their elders both past and present.

Category, Speech
Sex Discrimination

Westpac IT Women’s Forum: Women, men, life and having it all

At the time I nominated that as a topic, I had something clearly in mind. But that was a while ago and I have long since forgotten what it was. Which is the wonderful thing about being forgetful; every day is new and exciting. Today’s idea about women, men, life and having it all are likely to be different to yesterday’s. By the time I have finished speaking both of us might have discovered something new.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Opportunity knocks

I follow this custom wherever I go to speak in public. I think recognising Australia ' s indigenous peoples and their prior ownership of this land in this way is more than just good manners. It is an important part of recognising our diversity as a nation.

Category, Speech
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice

Democracy, the media and human rights: Dodson (1997)

Throughout many western democracies contemporary beliefs about the role of the media are directly shaped by enlightenment ideals and the struggle against state despotism. Although somewhat tarnished, these ideals continue to inspire resistance to oppression, and sustain battles for freedom of conscience, speech, and individual liberty, for political self determination and democratisation.

Category, Speech
Race Discrimination

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Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now an accepted truth that all countries are affected by the rapid increase in the movement of people, commodities and ideas at the global level as well as the increase in cultural, ethnic and religious diversity that these movements bring. Many countries, including Australia, are working to develop ways of managing the social impact of these trends. Addressing racism is essential to this task.

Category, Speech
Rights and Freedoms

GLBTI Human Rights Conference: Issues in the Asia Pacific Region

Many communities use sport as a way to build peer friendships, and enjoy favourite activities in an atmosphere which is safe and supportive. Some years ago- too many sadly- I enjoyed a bi-annual Australian cricket carnival played between teams of people who were blind or had low vision. This is exactly what is happening at these games, and I trust that the links and friendships built through the activities will be positive and long-standing ones, as they were for me.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

DDA Standards and Regulation Impact Statements: Context and Process

Much of my mis-spent youth involved listening to rock bands. At that time the internet hardly existed, as opposed to the ubiquitous role it now plays in our lives. That's a shame for many reasons, one of them being that had it done so, I could have justified my time by contributing to www.kissthisguy.com . This is a site which lists what people thought were the words of rock songs, and then what they actually are.

Category, Speech
Disability Rights

Maguire: Presentation to Ozewai Conference

I've always been fascinated by numbers. Although remembering some of my maths exam results, I'm not so sure that they have been as fascinated by me. If you ask a group of people to say the first number that comes into their heads, you'll get a lot of 7's. Perhaps it's because we all have an intuitive awareness that 7 is the smallest number of faces of a regular polygon that cannot be constructed with a ruler and compass.

Category, Speech
Sex Discrimination

COSBOA speech: Pru Goward (2006)

Fact one, no where in the developed world is paid maternity leave funded a scheme mandating employers to directly pay employees taking maternity leave.

Category, Speech

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