Guest Blogs
LGBTI Federal Anti-Discrimination laws are a significant first step
Heidi Yates
02-Apr-2013
02-Apr-2013
The proposed introduction of ‘sexual orientation’, ‘gender identity’ and ‘intersex status’ as protected attributes under the Sex Discrimination Act (http://www.aph.gov.au..
Inadequate legal protection forsakes the most vulnerable
Simon Rice
25-Mar-2013
25-Mar-2013
The government has announced discrimination protection for sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. But the reform is a hollow one, and will only disappoint. It gives nothing of real substance t..
Restoring the Balance
Anna Brown
14-Dec-2012
14-Dec-2012
Recently the Federal Government released its draft anti-discrimination law that will, for the first time, provide national protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identi..
What’s in a Name?
Dr Dominique Allen
29-Nov-2012
29-Nov-2012
“What’s in a Name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet once asked, and this was the question I asked myself when opening the government’s long-awaited and surprisingly titled Human Rights an..
Missed Opportunities in Changes to Anti-Discrimination Laws
Simon McKeon and Rachel Ball
21-Nov-2012
21-Nov-2012
This week Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced changes to the anti-discrimination laws. 2011 Australian of the Year Simon McKeon and the HRLC's Rachel Ball say that although the Bill makes signif..
Government's anti-discrimination law is fairer and more accessible
Human Rights Law Centre
20-Nov-2012
20-Nov-2012
Government’s anti-discrimination law is fairer and more accessible
A new Bill proposed by the Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, and Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Penny Wong, will strength..
Special Measures: Addressing Inequality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Candice Van Doosselaere
16-Aug-2012
16-Aug-2012
If carefully designed, special measures can be an important tool in fighting inequality. In the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) Act, the Australian government introduced special measures to add..
A Call for an Equal Playing Field for Australia’s Diverse Communities
Pino Migliorino
10-Feb-2012
10-Feb-2012
When Dr Charles Teo attested, at the launch of Australia Day Council celebrations last month, that racism is ‘very much alive in Australia’, his comments struck a nerve with the Australian publi..
Making the Invisible Visible: Intersex Rights are human rights which should be protected under new equality laws
Gina Wilson
03-Feb-2012
03-Feb-2012
Intersex rights are human rights. Although this statement might seem self-evident, the rights and experiences of Intersex people have been consistently ignored and rendered invisible across the world and th..
Fairer Australia - but is it for Older People?
Sue Hendy
24-Jan-2012
24-Jan-2012
COTA’s focus is on national policy issues from the perspective of older people as citizens and consumers and seeks to promote, improve and protect the circumstances and wellbeing of older people in Au..
Equality and Religion
Jamie Gardiner
20-Jan-2012
20-Jan-2012
There are dozens of major religions in Australia, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics counts hundreds in total. Most believe they hold the One and Only Truth, and that the others and their gods are here..
It is Time to Protect Gender Identity and Gender Expression under Australian Anti-Discrimination Law
Sally Goldner
04-Jan-2012
04-Jan-2012
After decades of campaigning, it finally looks like Australia is making progress in eradicating discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and gender expression. In late 2011, the High Court of Austr..
Equality for All
Carl Katter
22-Dec-2011
22-Dec-2011
My name is Carl Robert Katter. I am 33 years old and born gay. I grew up in Mt Isa in Queensland’s North-West and recently moved from Brisbane to the beautifully diverse suburb of Fitzroy in Melbourne, Vi..
Moving to a Capacity-Based Approach to Promoting Equality in Australia
Dr Belinda Smith and Dr Dominique Allen
26-Oct-2011
26-Oct-2011
While the federal government has called only for a ‘consolidation’ of Commonwealth anti-discrimination laws, the review process provides an opportunity for us to rethink the framework of these l..
Remove age discrimination, and we’ll have more financially independent older people and a more productive economy.
Susan Ryan
10-Oct-2011
10-Oct-2011
Not too many years ago, the terms ‘Seniors’, ‘Elders’ and ‘Older persons’ would have conjured up images of frail, white haired people sitting meekly in an old fashioned g..
Thoughts on the Consolidation Project from the perspective of an advocate and person with disability
Fiona Given
15-Sep-2011
15-Sep-2011
I think the consolidation project is a positive step in law reform, from the perspective of disability discrimination. It provides us with an opportunity to get disability discrimination law correct. Howeve..
Getting it right: lessons from South Africa’s equality framework
Beth Goldblatt
11-Jul-2011
11-Jul-2011
As a new citizen of Australia I have been disappointed to see that anti-discrimination laws come a poor second to those of my former home, South Africa. The reform process to consolidate Australia’s a..
Renovator’s Opportunity: Streamlining Australia’s anti-discrimination laws
Carol Andrades
04-Jul-2011
04-Jul-2011
There are moves afoot to streamline Federal anti-discrimination laws in Australia. From a practitioner’s point of view, the sooner this happens, the better.
The current Federal regime comprises a ..
Sharing the burden in the fight for equality
Joanna Shulman
01-Jun-2011
01-Jun-2011
In the absence of a human rights act, discrimination laws are our best shot at addressing inequality. This is by no means a small task. The Disability Discrimination Act ambitiously lists its aims as: the e..
For a Better World
Madam Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé
11-May-2011
11-May-2011
From Time immemorial, human beings have thirsted for justice. Our pursuit of this ideal has necessarily translated into a long and difficult search for truth, impartiality and, ultimately, equality. For, a..
Reflections on reforming discrimination laws in Australia
Simon Rice
29-Apr-2011
29-Apr-2011
Australia was once among the world leaders in laws prohibiting discrimination. Our national law against racial discrimination is over 40 years old and yes, that was a generation ago. Even though our aspirat..
