Generous limits on free racist speech
Early in 2014, federal Attorney-General George Brandis released a proposal to significantly amend our law against racial vilification, Sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act, on the.
The case against free racist speech
I have spent a professional lifetime trying to get people to know about (let alone respect) anti-discrimination law, and suddenly everyone knows about ‘section 18C’. For all the wrong.
Race hate law reform is free speech on steroids
Holocaust denier Fredrick Toben would never have breached federal racial vilification law under the Federal Government’s proposed changes – that’s how weak they are. Senator George Brandis cannot be.
Proposed reforms abandon racial vilification protection
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis is serious when he says that under his watch, ‘people do have a right to be bigots’. As drafted (and it is very poorly drafted),.
MARIE CLAIRE, the ‘human rights’ issue
I was driving up Oxford St in Sydney. Above Taylor Square a billboard advertised the October 2008 issue of Marie Claire with a series of words and phrases, along.
Leadership and a national human rights law
Imagine if we could get all of Australia to start a slow hand clap. And then, over the top of it, comes a plaintive chant ‘Why are we waiting?’..
Judges’ proper role under a human rights law
There are many arguable reasons for maintaining Australia’s unique position in not having a national guarantee of human rights. You might question the concept of universal human rights. You.
The ‘feral judge’ furphy in the human rights debate
There are many arguable reasons for maintaining Australia’s unique position in not having a national guarantee of human rights. You might question the concept of universal human rights. You.
A Human Rights agenda for a new Attorney-General
For more than a decade I disagreed with a great deal of what the Howard Government’s Attorney-General was doing and, not surprisingly, I indulged from time to time in.
Voluntary unionism and the freedom to associate
It is hard to argue with anything done in the name of a fundamental human freedom. The federal Government adopts this high ground when it repeatedly invokes freedom of.