ALHR Newsletter

Our Activities page provides information on what has been happening between newsletters. In the meantime, an updated version of the article on government asylum seeker policy by Eve Lester, ALHR's treasurer, and myself was published (albeit in a stripped down form) in Eureka Streetand can be accessed at http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=21550.  When the Leader of the Opposition took an even more extreme line than the government on treating asylum seekers as personae non gratae, ALHR suggested that Hansonism was triumphant among the mainstream parties. The release is on our site here. The Age picked up the release in their report.

The Israeli attack (with fatal consequences for nine passengers on the flotilla) on an aid flotilla heading to Gaza was the subject of a letter to Stephen Smith and a media release calling for Australia to be active in international forums to ensure that every effort is made to institute an independent and expert fact finding mechanism and to take action in the event that the attack was found to be in breach of international humanitarian law. For members who have access to Justinian, Ann Cunningham and I wrote a piece about Ann's experience in protesting the Gaza blockade by going to Egypt, earlier this year.

On Saturday, 26 June, the members of ALHR's National Committee are heading to Canberra for our annual face to face get together. (There is only so much one can do with emails and telephone conferencing.) This is traditionally used as an opportunity to set some priorities for the coming 12 months of work by ALHR. Accordingly, if you have any ideas on that subject, feel free to forward an email to me at [email protected]or Natasha Case, our national secretary at [email protected].

One of the things we will be discussing at our annual face to face is a joining fee for ALHR. At the moment, it costs nothing to join or remain a member of the organisation. As you will be aware from earlier emails, ALHR, although primarily a volunteer organisation, does need a moderate income to cover the need for logistical assistance to allow us to be more effective as an organisation. It is hoped, by me at least, that a moderate joining fee would answer that requirement without making it too difficult for new members to come on board. If you have any thoughts on that subject, also please free to pass them on to us.  Our voluntary levy is still open and, if you wish to forward us a donation, the account details are as follows:

 

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights General Account BSB 032007 Account number 32- 5867. Remember to put your name in the transaction details.

The work of providing submissions to government is ongoing. Brenda Tronson, a New South Wales member of ALHR, has agreed to coordinate a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 and the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) (Consequential Provisions) Bill. These bills are the centre piece of the federal government's response to the Report of the Brennan Committee on protecting human rights in Australiaand its alternative to enacting a Human Rights Act. Despite ALHR's disappointment at the government's failure to proceed with the HRA recommendation, a quick look at these bills suggests that the government's response is potentially a considerable improvement on the existing situation. If you are interested in working on future ALHR submissions or getting involved in your State Committee please send an email to me at [email protected] or Natasha Case, our national secretary, at [email protected]. I would particularly like to hear from some Tasmanian or Northern Territory members who are keen to get some activity going at their local level.

 

Thanks again,

Stephen Keim

National President ALHR

13 June 2010