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ALHR Urges Queensland to reconsider surrogacy amendments to exclude same-sex couples.

posted on July 18, 2012

ALHR has written to Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie urging his government to reconsider amendments to the Surrogacy Act 2010, which was enacted to enable any person – regardless of relationship status – to enter into a surrogacy arrangement. The proposed amendments would criminalise same-sex couples, singles and heterosexual de facto couples of less than two … Read More >>

ALHR Urges Government to provide appropriate advocacy for Assange

posted on July 9, 2012

ALHR President, Stephen Keim SC, wrote to the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon and Foreign Minister Bob Carr to seek assurances that the Australian government is undertaking appropriate advocacy on behalf of the Australian citizen, Julian Assange, whose safety and rights to due process have appeared to be in some jeopardy … Read More >>

ALHR supports the recommendations of the Senate legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee on marriage equality

posted on June 26, 2012

“Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (“ALHR”) welcomes the recommendations of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee supporting the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010 (with amendments),” Stephen Keim, President of ALHR, said today. “It is pleasing to see that the Committee has understood that marriage equality is about removing discrimination in relation to a … Read More >>

Women’s Human Rights in Australia’s National Human Rights Action Plan

posted on June 8, 2012

Young UN Women Australia Perth asked the ALHR WA Branch to put together an article for the June edition of their Zine e-magazine.  Tiffany Henderson, WA Co-Convenor, penned a great critique of the National Human Rights Action Plan from the perspective of women’s human rights.

Religious Vilification Legislation: Balancing Competing Rights in the Light of the Universal Declaration

posted on May 29, 2012

I was invited by a religious lobby group to write an article on the place of religious vilification within international and domestic human rights and anti-discrimination law. Religious and racial vilification and the religious and racial hatred have been causes of some of those ?barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind? both before … Read More >>

Recent arrest of PNG Chief Justice undermines rule of law

posted on May 29, 2012

“Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (‘ALHR’) strongly condemns the executive interference with the PNG judiciary that is taking place in Papua New Guinea.” Stephen Keim, President of ALHR, said today. “The threats towards the judiciary, the recent arrest of a Supreme Court Judge and the imposition of public emergency regulations, separately and in combination, undermine … Read More >>

Letter to the Editor: Indefinite Detention

posted on May 18, 2012

ALHR wrote this Letter to the Editor of The Age to highlight the deeply unsettling plight of a Sri Lankan woman, Ranjini, and her young sons, incarcerated in Villawood Detention Centre last week, following an adverse security assessment by ASIO.

ALHR welcomes announcement of new Children’s Commissioner

posted on May 1, 2012

“Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) welcomes the announcement of the creation of a National Children’s Commissioner,” Stephen Keim, President of ALHR, said today. “This announcement is timely given Australia’s looming appearance before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in June” said Mr. Keim. “We believe a National Children’s Commissioner will go … Read More >>

Exciting Public Seminar/CLE – “Asylum Seeking and the Law: the Minister, Human Rights and Accountability in Law” QLD

posted on April 30, 2012

‘Asylum Seeking and the Law: the Minister, Human Rights and Accountability in Law’ Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) and the UQ Justice and the Law Society (JATL) presents a special CLE seminar update regarding the latest debacles in the Australian government?s asylum seeker policy and its human rights implications including: (i) An analysis of … Read More >>

Submission on Marriage Equality Bill

posted on April 3, 2012

ALHR has made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in support of the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2012.

Joint Letter urges Bob Carr to encourage US accession to Mine Ban Treaty

posted on March 30, 2012

ALHR added its voice to a joint letter from humanitarian organisations urging Foreign Minister Bob Carr to use diplomatic channels to urge the US to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty. The letter was initiated by the Australian Network to Ban Land Mines and Cluster Munitions (ANBLC). Commending his principled stand in publicly condemning the … Read More >>