Brian Walters SC and Hugh Crosthwaite

Sir Robert Menzies once said that Australia would only ever have a perfect democracy when every Australian was educated to their absolute capacity. In aid of this ideal, Liberty Victoria, in association with the Australian Lawyers Alliance and Amnesty Australia, has launched a website called ‘The Gist of It’ (www.thegistofit.com.au).

Andrew Vincent

The National Human Rights Consultation Committee will report to the Australian Government on 30 September 2009, having received more than 40,000 submissions in the ten months since the consultation process began. It would be extremely disappointing and a testament to the effectiveness of the anti-charter fear campaign if the Committee recommends anything less than a British-style Human Rights Act.

Lucie O'Brien

The ABC’s Four Corners program recently aired the story of Mr Ward, a West Australian indigenous man who died in custody in January 2008. Mr Ward had been drink driving and was on his way to the Kalgoorlie Magistrates’ Court. The transport was provided by a private contractor, Global Solutions Limited.

Ergun Cakal

With the recent international push for renewed recognition of rights of people with disabilities and Australia’s recent ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006, the instigation of the Law Reform Commission’s review of Victorian guardianship and administration legislation has been quite timely.

Dr Paul Gardner

Dr Larry Stillman (‘Free Speech and Intercommunal Conflict’, Liberty News, Issue 3) doesn’t argue the case explicitly, but he seems to imply that the organised Jewish community reacted to the Seven Jewish Children play by seeking to stifle free speech. He offers no evidence to support such an implication. As far as I am aware, there were three forms of response to the play.

Natalie Simpson

The sinister practice of transporting women over international borders for the purpose of imprisoning them as sex slaves is something that most people choose to believe does not happen in their own backyard. Unfortunately the reality is that trafficking in persons is a very real problem in Australia.

Rachel Ball

In the first half of 2009, two United Nations committees issued report cards on the state of human rights in Australia, following extensive reviews of Australia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

On the 15 June 2009 Liberty Victoria lodged its submission to the National Human Rights Consultation. Liberty Victoria commends the government for conducting the National Human Rights Consultation to determine how best ot protect human rights in Australia. 

Michael Pearce SC

Two important events for Liberty are looming and I hope all members will make an effort to attend. The first is on Friday evening 29 May and is the official launch of ‘The Gist of It’. This is an innovative program sponsored by Liberty, Amnesty and the Australian Lawyers Alliance, comprising a series of interviews with leading Australians on a number of human rights topics.

Anne O'Rourke

Liberty Victoria recently completed a submission into the freedom of religion inquiry being undertaken by the Australian Human Rights Commission.