A cascade of more than 50 Acts tackling ‘anti-terrorism’ – short-term reactions to then-perceived threats – have engulfed Australian society since 2001. Over the next decade or so, there’s a need to re-balance the legislation to better reflect the co…
Category: Human Rights
Attorney-General re-commits to national human rights inquiry
Attorney-General Robert McClelland has re-committed the government to undertaking ‘an Australia-wide inquiry” into human rights. “The Australian Government is committed to the promotion of human rights – a commitment that is based on the belief of the fu…
Worst civil liberties transgressions of ’07
What were the worst American civil liberties trangressions in 2007? Here’s what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says…and there’s a lot of resonance with civil liberties violatons in Australia – this article by Richard Ackland in the Sydney Mo…
Haneef: How a Minister’s discretion failed the nation
The Australian newspaper – not traditionally anti-police or security services – has summed up how seriously ex-Minister Andrews failed Australia by "…engaging in a cynical attempt to ramp up the Howard government’s security credentials".…
CCL censorship battle proved the Lady was no tramp
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties helped to break the back of archaic Australian censorship laws by taking the fight to Sydney’s streets, which were then rife with police corruption. The Liberating of Lady Chatterley and Other True Stories is the tale…
A-G signals more public diplomacy, no ‘vigilantism’
New Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, signalled a significant shift of emphasis toward ‘public diplomacy’ and ‘community building’ – and away from ‘vigilantism’ – in his first major speech. His words have immediately helped to lessen tensions in Musli…