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2011 Pod Rights

Podrights 24: Something in common website

Last Friday, the Commission launched its Something in Common project, which aims to build respect, equality, freedom and belonging in Australia by looking at current human rights issues from shared experiences. Designed by Digital Eskimo, the project features two microsites – Somethingincommon.gov.au and tellmesomethingIdontknow.gov.au, which encourage people to ‘dig deeper’ on issues and provide information so that you can ‘take action’. In this instalment of Podrights, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, discusses these microsites with Digital Eskimo founder and Managing Director, David Gravina.

Pod Rights 23: Social Justice and Native Title Reports 2011

In this podrights episode, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda discusses his 2011 Social Justice and Native Title Reports. Commissioner Gooda reflects on some of the major milestones of the previous year, such as the first elected co-Chairs and Board for the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples and efforts to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution.

He also explains to Commissioner Innes how lateral violence, which is bullying, harassment, gossiping and jealousy, is having a detrimental effect on relationships in Indigenous communities.  He explains how this is particularly acute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because of the oppression and the colonisations they suffered. 

Pod Rights 22: The Commission's ADFA Report

On Nov 3, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, released her Report on the Review into the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force Academy on behalf of the Commission. The report was the culmination of Phase 1 of the two part independent review, the second phase of which is looking at the Australian Defence Force more broadly. In this instalment of Podrights, Ms Broderick explains the context, methodology and recommendations of the Review to Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes.

Pod Rights 21: Fifty years of Amnesty International

When it comes to human rights advocacy and activism around the world, Amnesty International has been both very successful and extremely well known since its inception 50 years ago. Though most of us are aware of Amnesty International, we may still wish to know a little more about them, their activities around the world and, from my perspective, their relationship with organisations such as the Australian Human Rights Commission. In this instalment of Podrights, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, is joined by Amnesty International’s National Director for Australia, Claire Mallinson, who talks about these issues, the evolution of Amnesty to the global organisation it is today, its focus in Australia and its plans for the future.

Pod Rights 20: Male Champions of Change - elevating the representation of women in leadership

The Male Champions of Change, convened by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, is a collaborative initiative of corporate and institutional leaders committed to discussing and promoting strategies and actions that elevate women’s representation in leadership. Last week, the Male Champions of Change launched their best practice guide of strategies that will assist large organisations to increase the number of women in leadership roles, entitled Our experiences in elevating the representation of women in leadership: A letter from business leaders.In this installment of Podrights, Elizabeth Broderick explains the initiative, the publication and the group’s future with Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes.

Pod Rights 19: Our new Race Discrimination Commissioner

Dr Helen Szoke is Australia’s new Race Discrimination Commissioner. Formerly a Commissioner at the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for seven years, Helen began her role at the Australian Human Rights Commission on 5 September. Among other things, she brings to the position her experience relating to management, community development, organisational development and regulation in the education and health sectors. In this instalment of Podrights, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, and former race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, speaks to Dr Szoke about her new role and the issue of racism, as it applies to Australia today.

Pod Rights 18: High Court Decision on Malaysia

Recently, the High Court ruled as invalid the federal Government’s intention to send asylum seekers, who arrive in Australia by boat, to Malaysia. To discuss the decision and the human rights issues behind it, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes spoke to Australian Human Rights Commission President, Catherine Branson.

Podrights 17: Human Rights Awards winner and nominations period draws to close

The Human Rights Awards are held every year in conjunction with World Human Rights Day, which is on 10 December. This year, the winners of the ten Award categories will be announced at the Sydney Wentworth Sofitel Hotel on Friday 9 December. Nominations close on Friday September 9 at 5pm (http://www.humanrights.gov.au/hr_awards/index.html). In this instalment of PodRights, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes is joined by last year’s winner of the prestigious Young People’s Human Rights Medal, Jack Manning Bancroft. Jack talks about being nominated for the medal and the positive implications it has had in his work.

Podrights 16: The National Disability Insurance Scheme

The federal Government recently announced that it will go ahead with a National Disability Insurance Scheme. But what will this scheme really mean for people with disability and their carers throughout Australia. To answer those and other questions, Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes is joined in this instalment of Pod Rights by Dr Rhonda Galbally AO.  Dr Galbally is the chair of the National People with Disability and Carers Council, which prepared the Shut Out report which led to the reference to the Productivity Commission, and has personally lobbied hard for the scheme.

Podrights 15: Australia's new Age Discrimination Commissioner

With the appointment of the Hon. Susan Ryan AO, Australia has its first full time Age Discrimination Commissioner. From 1975-1988 Susan was Senator for the ACT and became the first woman to hold a Cabinet post in a federal Labor Government. More recently, she has chaired the trustee board of the IAG/ NRMA Superannuation Plan, held leadership positions in Australian Superannuation, including President of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees 2000-2007 and was a member of the ASX Corporate Governance Council from 2003 to 2007. In this instalment of PodRight, Susan joins Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes to talk about her new role.

Podrights 14: Print disability and the right to read

People who have a print disability include people who are blind or with low vision, people with a physical disability that makes it difficult for them to manipulate a standard book and people with other cognitive impairments. This is a large group of people. However, these people have access to precious little information in their lives. In developed countries, such as Australia, less than 5% of published material is put into an alternate format. In the developing world it is less than 1%. The World Blind Union has been running a right to read campaign to encourage action on this issue. In this instalment of Podrights, Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, discusses the campaign and its challenges with the President of the World Blind Union, Maryanne Diamond.

Podrights 13: Intervention in the Northern Territory

Four years on since the government’s Intervention in the Northern Territory, the issue is still a contentious one. Rarely do we have the opportunity to hear directly from someone living in those communities. A born and bred Territorian, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks is an Arrente/Amatjere woman from Utopia who lived on the station until she was nine. At 15 Rosalie was chosen by director Charles Chauvel to play the lead role in Australia’s first feature-length colour film, Jedda. Recently Rosalie returned to Utopia Station, where she now lives. In this instalment of PodRights, Rosalie talks about the impact the Intervention is having on communities throughout the Northern Territory.

Podrights 12: The role of Australia’s UN Youth Ambassador

Since 1999, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have partnered with the United Nations Youth Association to select and support a youth representative.  This person gets to talk to young people throughout Australia, and then to go to New York and represent the views of young Australians as part of our united nations process.  It is a unique opportunity. Australia’s 2010 UN Youth Representative was 22 year old Samah Hadid. In this instalment of PodRights, Samah joins Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes to discuss the process and her involvement in it.

Podrights 11: Constitutional recognition of first Australians

In Australia today, both sides of politics have indicated their support for changing our constitution to recognise the first Australians.  But the devil may be in the detail.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, is a descendant of the Gangulu people of Central Queensland.  Before starting in his current role, Mick was the CEO of the co-operative research centre for Aboriginal health, where he placed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people front and centre in the research agenda.  In this instalment of PodRights, Commissioner Gooda joins Race and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes to discuss constitutional recognition.

Podrights 10: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Last week, Australia was privileged to be visited by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay Ms Pillay lives in South Africa and has held this position since September 2008. The first woman to start a law practice in her home province of Natal in 1967, she acted as a defense attorney for anti-apartheid activists, exposing torture, and helping establish key rights for prisoners on Robben Island. When apartheid ended, Ms. Pillay was appointed as acting judge on the South African High Court and was elected judge on the International Criminal Court in 2003. She has been involved in many organisations promoting the rights of women, children and refugees. In this instalment of PodRights, she speaks to Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, about significant human rights issues in Australia and around the world today.

Podrights 9: Ramp Up – disability goes online

On the International Day for People with Disabilities last year, the ABC launched a portal called Ramp Up. Based on a similar BBC website called Ouch, it deals with day-to-day issues facing people with disabilities, but in a way which challenges generally held stereotypes. In this instalment of PodRights, Ramp Up’s creator and editor, activist and comedienne Stella Young, discusses the concept, it’s development and the intentions for its future with Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes.

Podrights 8: Multiculturalism

This week PodRights turns to the question of multiculturalism and Australia's recently announced multicultural policy. With half of Australians either born overseas or having at least one parent who was born overseas, Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Yet, recent research indicates that around 85% of people believe that racism is a current issue in Australia; while around 20% of Australians have experienced forms of race-hate talk. So there are still questions about the level acceptance of culturally or linguistically diverse people in Australia. To discuss this issue, Race and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes is joined in this instalment of PodRights by Pino Migliorino, the chair of the Federation of Ethnic Community Councils of Australia.

Podrights 7: The Universal Periodic Review

The Universal Periodic Review is a new process undertaken by the United Nations Human Rights Council. It involves review of the human rights records of all 192 Member States once every four years. The ultimate aim of the Review is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur. In this installment of PodRights, Commission President, Catherine Branson discusses the process and its implications for Australia and other countries around the world, with Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes.

Podrights 6: Accessibility and social change

With 20 percent of people in Australia living with a disability, and that statistic increasing sharply as we all age, accessibility in daily life is becoming an increasingly important issue. We all need to access premises, services, facilities and information, whether it is in travel, work, visiting friends, entertainment or community activities. But for people living with disabilities, there are still significant barriers to access. Rick Hansen is a Canadian man who has been working to change this over the last 25 years. His Rick Hansen Foundation has raised over $200 million. In this instalment of PodRights, Rick talks to Commissioner Graeme Innes about his and other people's achievements, the work and the major issues that are part of a social change assisting in the removal of barriers to accessibility.

PodRights 5: Bullying

A recent Australian study estimated that 27 percent of students in years 4 to 9 are bullied at least every few weeks and between 7 and 10 percent are cyber-bullied. In today's world, initiatives to address bullying are facing new challenges. In both the physical and the virtual world, the role of the bystander is an important one. But if a bystander is to be able to take action, they must feel safe, supported and empowered to do so. On, Friday 18th March 2011, Australia's first National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes discussed these issues with the Chief Commissioner for Girl Guides Australia, Ms Helen Geard, and CEO of the Inspire Foundation, Mr Jonathon Nicholas.

PodRights 4: Electronic voting

An independent secret ballot is one of the foundation stones underpinning Australian democracy.  But most Australians are surprised to find that there are a group of at least 300,000 Australians who, until recently, have not had an independent secret ballot. These are people who are blind or have low vision, or who, for other reasons, cannot complete a ballot paper. In recent years, however, this has started to change. In this instalment of PodRights, Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, talks to election officials, Tim Noonan and Judy Birkenhead about new developments and how they are being utilized in the upcoming NSW election.

Episode 3: Mainstreaming gender equality

Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes talks to Associate Professor Carolyn Hannon from the University of Lund in Sweden about the concept of mainstreaming gender equality. A former Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women at the United Nations, Carolyn grew up in Australia before moving to Sweden where she lives and has raised a family. In this instalment of PodRights, Carolyn discusses how gender equality means more than just dealing with employment issues and explains why mainstreaming of gender equality needs to take place, not only across the UN, but in nations around the world.

Episode 2: UN Youth - Monique Coleman and Samah Hadid

Monique Coleman is a Hollywood actress who has starred in films such as High School Musical, in which she played Tyler McKessie. She is also the UN Youth Ambassador. Monique has been in Australia, travelling across the country, visiting schools and a wide range of community organisations, including indigenous communities. Most recently, she has launched an online talk show called ‘Gimme Mo’ to get young people talking about the issues that affect them. Monique is promoting ‘Gimme Mo’ on her global road trip which will take her to Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Recently, Monique came to the Commission and spoke with 2010 Australian Youth representative to the UN, Samah Hadid, and Race and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes about her role as Youth Ambassador, her commitment to youth advocacy work and the 'Gimme Mo' project.

Episode 1: Counter-terrorism laws

This week, British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for stronger action on Islamic extremism. Nicola McGarrity, the Director of the Terrorism and Law Project at the Gilbert and Tobin Centre of Public Law, talks to Race and Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes about Australia’s counter-terrorism laws and the impacts of these laws on our human rights.

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