“If we want to put justice fairness and equality at the heart of the Commonwealth Government’s decision making process we need a National Human Rights Act”
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Ms Green’s remarks, clearly fall within the bounds of protected speech. Criticising government policy is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy, and attempts to suppress such criticism, particularly within artistic expression, set a dangerous precedent. While public institutions may not always agree with the views expressed by individuals, it is wholly inappropriate for governments to use the withdrawal of financial support as a tool to punish or silence speech.
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It is a core belief of the QCCL that democracies are strengthened, not weakened, when space is made for peaceful dissent. A decision by the State Government to withdraw funding from the Queensland Music Awards due to one artist’s lawful political expression during an acceptance speech would set a deeply concerning and dangerous precedent.
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The removal of the “reasonable suspicion” requirement, or any other objective basis for the search, rendered the citizen extremely vulnerable to an arbitrary exercise of power, restrained only by the police officer's honesty
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"To those who say that these laws could have an impact on certain statutory decision-making schemes, we say that is what rights are meant to do. Rights are constraints on the exercise of discretions."
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The likely result of these laws is that responsibility for the commission of these crimes will be passed on to parents and other relatives who didn’t check the register or didn’t take some hypothetical steps rather than responsibility clearly and solely lying with the offender.
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“Excluding people who must live their lives on public land from it is a callous and tyrannical exercise of power by a lucky majority against a minority of their less fortunate fellow human beings.” says Mr Cope
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In our submission, these powers should cease at sunset because they remain disproportionate to human rights protections in Australia, their (limited) use does not justify their continued existence and ultimately, they are better repealed to be the subject of the outcome to the Electronic Surveillance Framework.
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It has been found that, aside from the shame and humiliation associated with searches, disproportionate stop and search practices can also cause people to feel a diminished sense of belonging, fear, insecurity, anxiety, intimidation and helplessness.
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The structure of the Act is intended to preserve Parliamentary sovereignty. However, it is our view that the application of the Act to any order or direction or similar exercise of rulemaking power by the executive which is not approved of or in some way subject to parliamentary scrutiny, does not infringe on parliamentary sovereignty
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Any set of rights is pretty useless if you do not have an environment in which you can enjoy them. To that end, we do support the inclusion in the Act of a right to a healthy environment
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Mr Cope say, “The starting point must be that you don’t need to be a believer to teach mathematics. Religious affiliation or views are irrelevant to who is employed in school outside religious education classes, religious ceremonies and key leadership positions. The government is simply allowing religious groups to impose their views on others. This violates the principal of equality for all in worship.”
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The police have made it clear that they will be exercising a discretion as to who is searched - they will be “judicious” and elderly people will have nothing to fear. Research from Australia and overseas indicates that police assessments of whom to search or question are often based on generalizations and negative stereotypes that are in part attributable to ethnic bias.The Review found that the use of unwarranted generalizations and stereotypes is what happened during the trial
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We are particularly troubled by the objectives apparently underpinning the legislation, including exclusion of entire nations from migration to Australia, further criminalisation and exposure to imprisonment and detention of people seeking safety in Australia, and circumvention of the impact of a prospective High Court decision regarding unlawful administrative detention.
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“In the nineteenth century the eight-hour day campaign led to laws that protected the rights of workers to leisure and private time. If steps are not taken modern technology will slowly but surely eviscerate those hard-won rights. This is why we need an effective right to disconnect” says Michael Cope
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It is a matter of the most critical importance that the Australian Government and the Australian Army make it clear in respect of any military person who is seconded or appointed to any arm of Australia’s Military Forces that they be of the highest calibre and absolutely beyond reproach in respect of their human rights record.
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The rule against double jeopardy is not a rule designed to protect the guilty but to protect the innocent.
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in our view the Federal Act should contain a provision similar to Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation which provide that the Act is not intended to exclude or limit the operation of a law of a state (or territory) that furthers the objects of the Act and is capable of operating concurrently with the Human Rights Ac
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The important connection between a dog and their owner renders the destruction order a decision that should be a last resort and made with careful consideration. Destruction orders infringe upon the rights of the dog and the dog owner. However, the threat the dog poses to the community and the careful consideration that occurs for destruction orders renders such a decision appropriate and necessary to uphold community safety in the relevant circumstances.
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