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.

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

Andrew Vincent

With flagship events like the Melbourne Cup and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Victoria has long been regarded as the premier state for major sporting events. In order to cement that position, the Brumby Government has introduced the Major Sporting Events Bill 2009.

Georgia King-Siem

In January 2009, the Attorney-General announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) would review the operation and provisions of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth). The ambit of the inquiry extends to all federal government ad hoc non-judicial non-executive public inquiries.

In particular, the ALRC is to consider:

Georgia King-Siem

As part of its broader inquiry into surveillance regulation in Victoria, the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) has now turned its attention to surveillance in public places. Previously, the VLRC has looked at surveillance in the workplace.

Dr Larry Stillman

The past year or so has seen pressure from some lobby groups in the Jewish community against a number of public events in Melbourne and Sydney as well as Fairfax media or the ABC for what it claims is anti-Israel bias.