Words are powerful. They can forge bonds of mutual respect and understanding, as they did when a nation apologised to all Indigenous Australians for the profound grief, suffering and loss exacted by the mistaken policies of past governments.They can rouse a nation to action, as they did when, in our darkest hour, a defiant John Curtin called on all Australians to fight for our imperishable traditions
We live in a world forever changed by the terrorist attacks in New York City on 11 September 2001 that made people feel vulnerable in a way that they hadn’t imagined that they were. Rather than providing us with a vision of hope and an alternative future, we have seen parties from both sides of the political divide seek to utilise the increased fear amongst the population
The concept of sustainability has always been central to indigenous cultures. Native Americans believe that you have to consider the impact of your actions on the next seven generations. And in Australia there is a world view among Indigenous people that says that you do not inherit land, you hold it on trust for future generations
Kenny and thousands of other people with disabilities in Australia fall through a huge gap in our social services network, because their injury or disability is non-compensable. Because of this, individuals with a disability struggle below the poverty line
There is one measure which, if adopted in Australia, would make an important difference to this flawed democracy of ours: it is a Charter of Rights. The response to the idea of a Charter of Rights is not easily summarised
Western liberal thinkers and politicians note with pride democracy’s expansion across much of the globe. They prize their democratic political theory as the most judicious, ethical and creative of all the forms of government. In their policies and pronouncements they attempt to further this process in the name of the greater freedom of the human race
Climate change occurs because of the excessive release of green-house gases into the atmosphere. Not only is Australia one of the largest polluters in the world, the growth in its emissions in recent years has been among the fastest in the developed world
The emergence of the Internet is one of the most significant leaps in the history of humanity. Information, knowledge and culture are exchanged among masses of people through interconnected information platforms.These platforms enable our culture to be analysed and rewritten, and fundamentally opens our perceptions to a wide variety of concepts and beliefs.
There is no more fundamental human rights issue than a threat to life on this planet as we know it. There are only two such threats that international policy failure can make real. One is global warming, and the other is annihilation by the most destructive and indiscriminately inhumane weapons ever invented. And nuclear weapons can kill us a lot faster than CO2
It is 40 years since the first land rights claim by Aboriginal people was instituted in Australia. It was dismissed: Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd (1971) 17FLR 141 (the Nabalco case). This loss was a great disappointment to those who had devoted their lives to claims that Indigenous Australians had land rights at the time of British settlement and that where those rights still existed they should be recognised and the land returned to that community