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ALHR Newsletters → 2010 → December → 23
ALHR (Vic) - End of Year Update
23/12/2010
End of year update
Hi all. With all the happenings of the past couple of weeks, we thought we'd send you one final update for 2010. We have certainly had some highs and lows the past few weeks. But overall, it has been inspiring to see the difference that can be made when like-minded organizations and individuals band together and advocate for the rights of all. Some of the key events over the past few weeks are below:
(1) Wikileaks
(2) ALHR submission on war crimes in Sri Lanka
(3) Victorian Charter of Human Rights
(4) Universal Periodic Review
(5) National Human Rights Action Plan
(6) Australia's first Aboriginal Rhodes scholar
(7) Human Rights Day Awards
(8) Human Rights Working Group for Business
(9) Our next member get-together - early 2011
(10) Happy holidays!
(1) Wikileaks
Many of us have been disappointed with the events unfolding in the past few weeks regarding the treatment of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. However, there seems to be some light on the horizon. Recent reports indicate that an investigation into Mr Assange's conduct has concluded that he has not broken any Australian laws. Also, after the Prime Minister and Attorney-General initially threatening to confiscate his passport, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has assured that Mr Assange will be provided with consular support.
ALHR has joined together with a number of NGOs, at the initiation of Elizabeth O'Shea from Maurice Blackburn, in writing to the Prime Minister of Australia expressing our concerns regarding the treatment of Mr Assange and requesting the Australian government to ensure Mr Assange?s rights are protected.
Our President, Stephen Keim SC, has also raised concerns regarding the treatment of Mr Assange, in particular the Australian government's lack of support for Mr Assange and allegations of illegality, and the importance of ensuring the right to free speech. As was well stated by Stephen, "Although the Attorney-General is entitled to disagree with - even protest - the actions taken, it is a particularly objectionable misuse of political hyperbole in these circumstances to make sweeping allegations of illegality. It involves a degree of intimidation that is likely to (and appears intended to) deter others from engaging in serious political debate on the possibility that it may offend those who hold the machinery of power."
The Australian government has now committed to providing consular support to Mr Assange and noted the importance of the right to free speech. ALHR congratulates the government on these commitments.
(2) ALHR submission on war crimes in Sri Lanka
ALHR has recently provided a submission to the United Nations Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka, calling on the Panel to recommend a full and effective inquiry into war crimes in Sri Lanka by setting up a properly resourced, independent and transparent inquiry into possible war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war.
Our submission drew upon the work of respected NGOs such as the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and argued that there is ample credible evidence available pointing to the commission of crimes such as the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and humanitarian workers and the killing of captives to justify setting up a properly resourced inquiry.
A copy of the submission is available on our website - http://www.alhr.asn.au/activities/2010/12/20/submission-to-the-un-on-sri-lanka.html.
(3) Victorian Charter of Human Rights
In light of our recent State election, and the review into the Victorian Charter of Human Rights ALHR has joined together with over 70 NGOs, at the initiation of Phil Lynch and Ben Schokman of the HRLRC, to be party to a letter to the Premier of Victoria reiterating the positive impact the Charter has had to date. The letter noted that "the Charter has been used in individual cases to uphold the rights and dignity of vulnerable and disadvantaged people, including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, the elderly, people with mental illness and people with disability." The NGOs called on the Baillieu Government to commit to reviewing the Charter with a focus on the operation and impact of the Charter and commit to strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights in Victoria.
A copy of the letter is available on our website - http://www.alhr.asn.au/activities/2010/12/22/letter-to-victorian-attorney-general.html.
(4) Universal Periodic Review
On 27 January 2011, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will conduct the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Australia, in Geneva. The UPR is a process through which the UNHRC reviews each UN member State?s human rights record, with a focus on the past 4 years. This involves member States providing a report to the UNHRC outlining the key human rights issues and accomplishments in their country, as they see them. NGOs are also able to provide reports to the UNHRC in relation to particular countries, and other States may ask questions of the country under review on the day of the review.
As you may already know, ALHR has been participating in a NGO working group on the UPR of Australia by the UN Human Rights Council. The working group, coordinated by Ben Schokman of the HRLRC, Anna Cody of the Kingsford Legal Centre and Louise Edwards of the National Association of Community Legal Centres, submitted a report to the UNHRC in July 2010 and has since been organizing advocacy in the lead up to the UPR. Amoungst other things, this will involve making other member States aware of some of the human rights issues in Australia so that they are able to raise these issues with Australia during the review.
This requires people on the ground in Geneva, and we are very excited to announce that Liz Snell, an ALHR member and participant in the UPR NGO working group, has been selected from a group of very well qualified candidates to receive funding from the AFHRO to attend the UPR and provide advocacy support. This is an incredibly important role and we are very excited about the wonderful support we are sure Liz will provide.
Liz is a solicitor at Women's Legal Services NSW and has been involved in various NGO contributions to the process already.
The funding from AFHRO is very much appreciated, however unfortunately this will not be enough to support Liz?s trip to Geneva for the UPR. So we would be very grateful for any donations you are able to make to support Liz's funding. ALHR?s bank details are:
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights General Account BSB 032007 Account number 32- 5867.
Please ensure you include your name and the code "UPR" in the reference. Thank you!
We are also excited to announce that another ALHR member, Jacqui Zalberg, was also successful in obtaining some funding to attend the UPR to provide advocacy support. Jacqui works for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People and is well experienced in human rights advocacy. Ben Schokman of the HRLRC will also be actively involved in advocacy at the UPR, on behalf of the NGO working group.
The NGO working group's report has been very well received by the UNHRC (congratulations to the team, in particular Ben, Anna and Louise!!), and we are sure that the team on the ground will be very effective. We will keep you in the loop with what happens in Geneva so watch this space to find out more!
(5) National Human Rights Action Plan
The Attorney-General's office has released a background paper on the National Human Rights Action Plan and is calling for initial submissions by February 2011. ALHR will be providing input into this, so if you would like to be involved please let us know.
(6) Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes scholar
We were very excited to hear that Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes scholar, Rebecca Richards, was announced on Thursday 16 December 2010. Rebecca will study a Masters of Philosophy in Material Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford University next year. ALHR congratulates Rebecca on this wonderful achievement.
(7) Human Rights Day Awards
On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2010, Therese Rein was awarded the Human Rights Medal for her work with people with disabilities and Jack Manning Bancroft was awarded the Human Rights Young People's Medal for his work with Indigenous people.
Other awards went to:
* Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency - Law Award;
* GetUp! - Community (Organisation) Award;
* Nina Funnell - Community (Individual) Award;
* The Grass is Always Greener... by Chris Graham, National Indigenous Times
(18 March 2010) - Print Media Award;
* It's Still in My Heart, This is My Country? by John Host with Chris Owen - Literature (non-fiction) Award;
* The Too Hard Basket: ABC Radio National's 360 documentaries (12 December 2009) - Radio Award; and
* Football United: Passport to Hope - North One Television Australia for Foxtel's Bio Channel (Screened 23 & 30 September 2010): Dan Goldberg, Adam Kay, Thierry Bled, Scott Barnett and Lucas Sudbury - Television Award.
ALHR congratulates all of the award recipients on their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights.
(8) Human Rights Working Group for Business
Australia's first Human Rights Working Group for Business has been established by the Global Compact Network Australia. The working group will assist corporate signatories to meet their human rights obligations by facilitating shared learning on human rights challenges and opportunities amoungst the participants.
The initial working group participants include ANZ, BHP Billiton, Intrepid Travel, Origin Energy, Rio Tinto, Sebel Furniture, Telstra and Woolworths.
The Global Compact Network Australia is the local network of the UN Global Compact, which is a voluntary corporate citizenship initiative representing an agreement between business and UN agencies, civil society and governments to advance universal principles across the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
(9) Our next member get-together - early 2011
We are planning a casual member get-together early in the New Year, so stay tuned for details. The main purpose of the function will be to touch base with our members, and hear your ideas about activities and causes you would like to see ALHR involved with in 2011.
(10) Happy holidays!
On behalf of the entire ALHR team, we would like to thank you for your support and commitment to human rights throughout 2010. We are very excited to have such an amazing bunch of members and look forward to working with you further in 2011. All the best for the holiday season and enjoy a well earned break!
Yours always in human rights,
Lily and Mandy
Lily Tsen (0414 77 5167, [email protected]) and Mandy Lister (0407 023 053, [email protected]).
Victorian Co-Convenors
Hi all. With all the happenings of the past couple of weeks, we thought we'd send you one final update for 2010. We have certainly had some highs and lows the past few weeks. But overall, it has been inspiring to see the difference that can be made when like-minded organizations and individuals band together and advocate for the rights of all. Some of the key events over the past few weeks are below:
(1) Wikileaks
(2) ALHR submission on war crimes in Sri Lanka
(3) Victorian Charter of Human Rights
(4) Universal Periodic Review
(5) National Human Rights Action Plan
(6) Australia's first Aboriginal Rhodes scholar
(7) Human Rights Day Awards
(8) Human Rights Working Group for Business
(9) Our next member get-together - early 2011
(10) Happy holidays!
(1) Wikileaks
Many of us have been disappointed with the events unfolding in the past few weeks regarding the treatment of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. However, there seems to be some light on the horizon. Recent reports indicate that an investigation into Mr Assange's conduct has concluded that he has not broken any Australian laws. Also, after the Prime Minister and Attorney-General initially threatening to confiscate his passport, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has assured that Mr Assange will be provided with consular support.
ALHR has joined together with a number of NGOs, at the initiation of Elizabeth O'Shea from Maurice Blackburn, in writing to the Prime Minister of Australia expressing our concerns regarding the treatment of Mr Assange and requesting the Australian government to ensure Mr Assange?s rights are protected.
Our President, Stephen Keim SC, has also raised concerns regarding the treatment of Mr Assange, in particular the Australian government's lack of support for Mr Assange and allegations of illegality, and the importance of ensuring the right to free speech. As was well stated by Stephen, "Although the Attorney-General is entitled to disagree with - even protest - the actions taken, it is a particularly objectionable misuse of political hyperbole in these circumstances to make sweeping allegations of illegality. It involves a degree of intimidation that is likely to (and appears intended to) deter others from engaging in serious political debate on the possibility that it may offend those who hold the machinery of power."
The Australian government has now committed to providing consular support to Mr Assange and noted the importance of the right to free speech. ALHR congratulates the government on these commitments.
(2) ALHR submission on war crimes in Sri Lanka
ALHR has recently provided a submission to the United Nations Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka, calling on the Panel to recommend a full and effective inquiry into war crimes in Sri Lanka by setting up a properly resourced, independent and transparent inquiry into possible war crimes during the Sri Lankan civil war.
Our submission drew upon the work of respected NGOs such as the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and argued that there is ample credible evidence available pointing to the commission of crimes such as the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and humanitarian workers and the killing of captives to justify setting up a properly resourced inquiry.
A copy of the submission is available on our website - http://www.alhr.asn.au/activities/2010/12/20/submission-to-the-un-on-sri-lanka.html.
(3) Victorian Charter of Human Rights
In light of our recent State election, and the review into the Victorian Charter of Human Rights ALHR has joined together with over 70 NGOs, at the initiation of Phil Lynch and Ben Schokman of the HRLRC, to be party to a letter to the Premier of Victoria reiterating the positive impact the Charter has had to date. The letter noted that "the Charter has been used in individual cases to uphold the rights and dignity of vulnerable and disadvantaged people, including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, the elderly, people with mental illness and people with disability." The NGOs called on the Baillieu Government to commit to reviewing the Charter with a focus on the operation and impact of the Charter and commit to strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights in Victoria.
A copy of the letter is available on our website - http://www.alhr.asn.au/activities/2010/12/22/letter-to-victorian-attorney-general.html.
(4) Universal Periodic Review
On 27 January 2011, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will conduct the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Australia, in Geneva. The UPR is a process through which the UNHRC reviews each UN member State?s human rights record, with a focus on the past 4 years. This involves member States providing a report to the UNHRC outlining the key human rights issues and accomplishments in their country, as they see them. NGOs are also able to provide reports to the UNHRC in relation to particular countries, and other States may ask questions of the country under review on the day of the review.
As you may already know, ALHR has been participating in a NGO working group on the UPR of Australia by the UN Human Rights Council. The working group, coordinated by Ben Schokman of the HRLRC, Anna Cody of the Kingsford Legal Centre and Louise Edwards of the National Association of Community Legal Centres, submitted a report to the UNHRC in July 2010 and has since been organizing advocacy in the lead up to the UPR. Amoungst other things, this will involve making other member States aware of some of the human rights issues in Australia so that they are able to raise these issues with Australia during the review.
This requires people on the ground in Geneva, and we are very excited to announce that Liz Snell, an ALHR member and participant in the UPR NGO working group, has been selected from a group of very well qualified candidates to receive funding from the AFHRO to attend the UPR and provide advocacy support. This is an incredibly important role and we are very excited about the wonderful support we are sure Liz will provide.
Liz is a solicitor at Women's Legal Services NSW and has been involved in various NGO contributions to the process already.
The funding from AFHRO is very much appreciated, however unfortunately this will not be enough to support Liz?s trip to Geneva for the UPR. So we would be very grateful for any donations you are able to make to support Liz's funding. ALHR?s bank details are:
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights General Account BSB 032007 Account number 32- 5867.
Please ensure you include your name and the code "UPR" in the reference. Thank you!
We are also excited to announce that another ALHR member, Jacqui Zalberg, was also successful in obtaining some funding to attend the UPR to provide advocacy support. Jacqui works for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People and is well experienced in human rights advocacy. Ben Schokman of the HRLRC will also be actively involved in advocacy at the UPR, on behalf of the NGO working group.
The NGO working group's report has been very well received by the UNHRC (congratulations to the team, in particular Ben, Anna and Louise!!), and we are sure that the team on the ground will be very effective. We will keep you in the loop with what happens in Geneva so watch this space to find out more!
(5) National Human Rights Action Plan
The Attorney-General's office has released a background paper on the National Human Rights Action Plan and is calling for initial submissions by February 2011. ALHR will be providing input into this, so if you would like to be involved please let us know.
(6) Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes scholar
We were very excited to hear that Australia's first Indigenous Rhodes scholar, Rebecca Richards, was announced on Thursday 16 December 2010. Rebecca will study a Masters of Philosophy in Material Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at Oxford University next year. ALHR congratulates Rebecca on this wonderful achievement.
(7) Human Rights Day Awards
On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2010, Therese Rein was awarded the Human Rights Medal for her work with people with disabilities and Jack Manning Bancroft was awarded the Human Rights Young People's Medal for his work with Indigenous people.
Other awards went to:
* Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency - Law Award;
* GetUp! - Community (Organisation) Award;
* Nina Funnell - Community (Individual) Award;
* The Grass is Always Greener... by Chris Graham, National Indigenous Times
(18 March 2010) - Print Media Award;
* It's Still in My Heart, This is My Country? by John Host with Chris Owen - Literature (non-fiction) Award;
* The Too Hard Basket: ABC Radio National's 360 documentaries (12 December 2009) - Radio Award; and
* Football United: Passport to Hope - North One Television Australia for Foxtel's Bio Channel (Screened 23 & 30 September 2010): Dan Goldberg, Adam Kay, Thierry Bled, Scott Barnett and Lucas Sudbury - Television Award.
ALHR congratulates all of the award recipients on their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights.
(8) Human Rights Working Group for Business
Australia's first Human Rights Working Group for Business has been established by the Global Compact Network Australia. The working group will assist corporate signatories to meet their human rights obligations by facilitating shared learning on human rights challenges and opportunities amoungst the participants.
The initial working group participants include ANZ, BHP Billiton, Intrepid Travel, Origin Energy, Rio Tinto, Sebel Furniture, Telstra and Woolworths.
The Global Compact Network Australia is the local network of the UN Global Compact, which is a voluntary corporate citizenship initiative representing an agreement between business and UN agencies, civil society and governments to advance universal principles across the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
(9) Our next member get-together - early 2011
We are planning a casual member get-together early in the New Year, so stay tuned for details. The main purpose of the function will be to touch base with our members, and hear your ideas about activities and causes you would like to see ALHR involved with in 2011.
(10) Happy holidays!
On behalf of the entire ALHR team, we would like to thank you for your support and commitment to human rights throughout 2010. We are very excited to have such an amazing bunch of members and look forward to working with you further in 2011. All the best for the holiday season and enjoy a well earned break!
Yours always in human rights,
Lily and Mandy
Lily Tsen (0414 77 5167, [email protected]) and Mandy Lister (0407 023 053, [email protected]).
Victorian Co-Convenors