ALHR Newsletter

Since March 2010 the National Committee has, together with other members from Qld and NSW, done the following work on behalf of ALHR.

Submissions

1. ALHR endorsed the NGO shadow reports on Australia's periodic reporting under: (a) Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 25 June 2010 and (b) Australia's Universal Periodic Report to the UN Human Rights Council on 7 July     2010.
2. Brenda Tronson and Stephen Keim made a submission to the Senate inquiry into the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 and the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2010 on 2 July 2010.3.   
3. Mandy Lister made a submission to the Attorney-General's Department on  Australia's Universal Periodic Review to the UN on 16 April 2010.
4. Natasha Case, Mark Polden and Stephen Keim made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 and Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Bill 2010 on 30 April 2010.
5. Riley Power and Stephen Keim made a submission to the Qld government on the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Qld) on 29 April 2010.
6. Matthew Zagor made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the Anti-People Smuggling and Other Measures Bill on 19 April 2010.
7. Sue Harris-Rimmer made a submission to the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee Inquiry into the future direction and role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee: Sue Harris-Rimmer on 7 April 2010.
   

Links to these submissions can be found in their relevant entries under activities on the website.

Comment

1. Lily Tsen and Edwina MacDonald made comment on the concluding observations of the UN Committee on economic, social and cultural rights on Australia's periodic report to DFAT on 9 July 2010.
2. Mandy Lister provided comment on the AHRC's submission on Australia's UPR on 6 May 2010.
   

Attendance

1. Arjuna Dibley attended the Australian Government and Non-Government     Organisation Forum on Human Rights in Canberra on 23 June 2010.
2. Natasha Case attended the AHRC Human Rights Roundtable in Sydney on 8 June 2010.
3. Mandy Lister represented ALHR on the UPR Working Group on numerous occasions.
4. Gayatri Nair and Anna Haynes attended the 3rd annual Human Rights Arts and Film Festival on 23 April 2010.
   

Op-eds

1. Katherine McGree and Stephen Keim published an op ed on the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to best possible health in Opinion Online on 6 July 2010.
2. Eve Lester published Australia in Crisis Group Firing Line on 1 June 2010.
3. Stephen Keim and Eve Lester published op ed "Let me count the ways" in Justinian on 19 May 2010.
   

Media releases

1. "ALHR supports (with reservations) legislation for a Human Rights Scrutiny Committee" on 11 July 2010.
2. "Prime Minister's curates' egg requires close scrutiny" on 6 July 2010.
3. "NSW Constitution recognizes Aboriginal peoples" on 18 June 2010.
4. "ALHR Calls on Stephen Smith to press for International Inquiry into Israel's attack on Aid Flotilla" on 5 June 2010.
5. "Hansonism triumphant" 28 May 2010.
6. "Moratorium on asylum seeker applications not based in reality" on 13 April 2010.
   

Quoted in mainstream press

1. On preventative detention in The Australian on 27 April 2010.
   
2. In support of the Brennan Report in The Australian on 21 April 2010.
   
3. On asylum seekers in the Sydney Morning Herald on 25 June 2010.
   

The 2010 ALHR Annual General Meeting saw a major change in membership of the National Committee, with a new President, Secretary and NSW, SA and Qld convenors.

On 26 June 2010, the ALHR National Committee met for its annual planning day at the ANU in Canberra. The ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic, and SA were all represented at the meeting. The planning day is usually the only occasion on which the National Committee meets in person each year and for this committee, was the first time many of us had ever met in person.
Given the high level of enthusiasm and commitment already evident in the National Committee, the planning day was given over to fine-tuning our procedures, considering the role of state and territory convenors and thinking about how to involve members in our overall objective of promoting human rights practice in Australia.

To achieve this, the National Committee is keeping track of the following issues that ALHR has previously worked on, are arising in 2010 or which committee members are interested in pursuing: asylum seekers, anti-discrimination laws, UN treaty body reporting processes, economic, social and cultural rights, children's rights, Indigenous peoples' rights, human trafficking laws, criminal law and police powers, education, access to justice, cluster munitions, climate change and environmental rights, freedom of speech, women's rights, lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex rights, the bill of rights debate, national security legislation and corporate social responsibility.

On the organisational side, Eve is convening a group on fundraising, including events, Natasha is tracking and addressing logistics, developing and defining state convenor's roles and developing an internship programme together with Qld convenor Jamie Nuich and, with ACT member Arjuna Dibley, raising ALHR's profile, particularly with law students.

Both the human rights issues and organisational matters are happening at the national and state and territory level.

If you would like to contribute to the national committee's work in any of these areas, please let me know what it is you would like to do and I will gladly put you to work.

If you would prefer to get involved in local activities, please get in touch with your state convenor by email or, if you are in WA, NT or Tas, get in touch with me.

Natasha Case
Secretary
14 July 2010