8 February 2016 Human rights continue to face many challenges, Julie Bishop, MP, Foreign Minister of Australia told the 2016 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NGO forum on Human Rights held in Canberra. These challenges, she said, included endemic conflict in Middle East and east Africa, death penalty and tricky dynamics of the …
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High Court Decision on Nauru
3 February 2016 Today’s High Court decision entrenched the legal basis for off-shore processing of asylum seekers and this decision cannot be ignored. Central to the decision was a retrospective amendment to the Migration Act which was passed by the Australian Parliament shortly after the case was initiated and which validated the offshore processing of …
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Australia Day Award
26-January-2016 I was delighted to be appointed in the today’s Australia Day Honours list as a Member of the Order of Australia for “for significant service to the community, particularly to human rights education, social justice and multiculturalism, and as an academic”. Thank you very much for many kind wishes and congratulations I have …
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6th International Human Rights Conference: ‘Translating Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms to Today’s World’
17-19 December 2015 I have just returned from the 6th International Human Rights Conference titled ‘Translating Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms to Today’s World’ that was held at the University College Roosevelt in Middelburg, The Netherlands, between 17-19 December 2015. I am pleased to report that the conference was a great success. It was attended by over …
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Prime Minister Turnbull endorses 2015 6th IHREC
3 December 2015 The 6th Annual International Human Rights Education Conference starts in just two weeks in Middleburg, Holland. The Australian Prime Minister Hon. Malcolm Turnbull has endorsed the conference – see PM message here . I hope to see you in Middleburg at the 6th IHRE Conference.
Kate Gilmore – new Human Rights Deputy High Commissioner
1 December 2015 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Kate Gilmore of Australia as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. She will succeed Flavia Pansieri of Italy. Ms. Gilmore is an Australian who is currently Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brings to the position nearly 30 …
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ACHRE welcomes new UN High Commissioner For Refugees
20 November 2015 ACHRE welcomes today’s action by the General Assembly to elect Filippo Grandi of Italy as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Mr. Grandi will succeed Antoio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres of Portugal. Mr. Grandi was most recently Commissioner-General of the …
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Educating to prevent violence against women
19 November 2015 The world’s first national framework to focus on preventing violence against women was launched this week. Change the Story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia was developed by Our Watch, the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s …
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ACHRE Annual General Meeting
18 November 2015 Today the AGM of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education took place and a new ACHRE Management Committee was elected for 2016. The new management Committee consist of: ACHRE President: – Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM (NSW) 2 Vice Presidents: – Dr Linda-ann Blanchard (WA) – Ms Pera Wells (VIC) Secretary/Public Officer: …
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Conversations in Peace
17 November 2015 The book launch of Conversations in Peace, on August 11th 2015 at Gleebooks saw a gathering of 200 people – thank you to all ACHRE members who could attend! According to the editors – Lynda-ann Blanchard and Hannah Middleton – a primary reason for publishing this significant text is as a tool …
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