Private lives, public money, The Australian
The legacy of Ian Thorpe’s “coming out” is whether corporate Australia will dispel the myth that it won’t support gay and lesbian Australians reaching their full potential. In his interview with...
View ArticleSection 18C should be the beginning of a national conversation, not the end,...
Discussion about the importance of free speech is often distant and philosophical, but the consequences of restrictions are human. Recently, Australian journalist Peter Greste was imprisoned in Egypt...
View ArticleOpponents speak with mixed voices, The Australian
A uniting, not dividing, approach is needed to reform restrictions on free speech. On Tuesday the Prime Minister announced the government would shelve its push to reform the Racial Discrimination Act....
View ArticleAllowing unpleasant views to be heard exposes them to ridicule they deserve,...
Preserving liberal human rights such as freedom of association and speech requires a culture of respect for differing views, not just those you like. Over the weekend, the World Congress of Families...
View ArticleBan on burkas has no place in a liberal democracy like Australia, The Australian
There are no grounds for segregating people on the basis of what they wear in a public building. Yesterday afternoon the Department of Parliamentary Services announced new security measures on Capital...
View ArticleEven in pursuit of valid goals, let’s stop sacrificing principles and rights,...
In pursuit of legitimately tackling isolated criminal behaviour, Parliaments are reversing the basic principle of liberal democracy by criminalising the exercise of human rights and prescribing lawful...
View ArticleSpeak up out of respect for rights and culture, The West Australian
To advance human rights we need to promote a culture of respect for everyone exercising their choice and freedoms. On a day-to-day basis, human rights probably appear abstract for most Australians. The...
View ArticleIt’s time for the transgender talk, Australian, ABC’s The Drum
The backlash against tweets directed at Catherine McGregor on Q&A last week should spark a conversation about transgender people in Australia. We must improve attitudes. We all need to learn...
View ArticleThe government should fix two free speech obstacles together: 35P and 18C,...
The Abbott government should correct the festering sores of 35P of National Security Legislation and 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act together. Since the passage of Section 35P of the National...
View ArticleCharlie Hebdo vs 18C: no contest, The Australian
CHARLIE Hebdo would have been a legal publication in Australia. But it would have faced regular efforts to have it shut down or censored under state and federal laws. In Australia the primary legal...
View ArticleA law that protects the rights of all parties, The Weekend Australian
A law can be designed to protect the rights of all and avoid a distracting and divisive debate on marriage for same-sex couples. There are two fundamental human rights that could be affected by any...
View ArticlePoll puts religious freedom in danger, The Australian
Religious freedom could be seriously compromised if a referendum were held on whether same-sex couples were allowed to marry. Following the events of the week numerous people have talked up a...
View ArticleSame-sex marriage the ultimate victory for conservatives, the Weekend Australian
That same-sex couples want to marry is a triumph of conservative values, not a threat to them. As the greatest conservative philosopher of the 20th century, Michael Oakeshott, wrote in On Being...
View ArticleI want to hold your hand: LGBTI people have some surprisingly modest...
Visibility remains one of the greatest challenges in tackling the legacy of state-sanctioned discrimination against people on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status....
View ArticleWhite paper has the potential to improve indigenous lives, The Weekend...
The Northern Australia white paper has the potential to be transformative in improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples if it increases the respect and value of their property...
View ArticleReligious freedom and same-sex marriage need not be incompatible, The Australian
Religious freedom isn’t sufficiently protected in any of the bills before the parliament to allow same-sex couples to marry. Last week the leader of the government in the Senate, Eric Abetz, raised...
View ArticleSame-sex marriage poll puts religious freedom in danger, The Australian
Religious freedom could be seriously compromised if a referendum were held on whether same-sex couples were allowed to marry. Following the events of the week numerous people have talked up a...
View ArticleName-calling won’t convince anyone, SameSame
Calling people a ‘homophobe’ or ‘bigot’ because they aren’t advocates for same-sex couples marrying won’t do anything to help change the law. In an article on SameSame last week, Doug Pollard argued he...
View ArticleGays and parents both have rights, Daily Telegraph
School should be a safe space for everyone to develop and learn. No ifs. No buts. Yesterday a media storm developed around the decision of Burwood Girls High School deciding to celebrate Wear It...
View ArticleBorder force: preserving freedom doesn’t sit with governments, the SMH & the Age
Horrified in response I called the minister’s office seeking an explanation. Later, the agency issued a clarifying statement that “the ABF does not and will not stop people at random in the streets and...
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