Human Rights Law and Policy
Human Rights Law and Policy
Latest news
In the Media
‘Disappointment and disbelief’ after Morrison government vetoes research into student climate activism’
Faith Gordon writes in The Conversation
HarperCollins apologizes to Russian billionaire over book claiming Putin ordered Chelsea soccer team purchase
Jelena Gligorijevic quoted in The Washington Post
Research explores online harms affecting children and young people
Faith Gordon interviewed by ABC Canberra Radio
ANU study finds young people need more protection online, social media companies urged to act
Faith Gordon quoted in Canberra Times
Kids as young as two exposed to ‘disturbing’ online content, report finds
Faith Gordon quoted in City News
In the Sharma case, Australia’s federal court must not avert its eyes from the climate crisis
Kieran Pender writes in The Guardian
Old-school and cyber spying now our biggest concern
writes in The Australian
Safety vs freedom: getting the security balance right
James Renwick writes in Australian Financial Review
Are we doing enough for Afghan refugees?
Kate Ogg speaks to ABC The Signal
Upcoming events
Twenty Minutes With The Devil
Part thriller, part black comedy, this play is inspired by events leading to the capture of El Chapo, Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, in 2016. But Twenty Minutes With The Devil transcends its original context, opening instead onto a world that is everywhere and nowhere, in an idiom at once strange and familiar. It asks vital questions about law, politics, and justice in the modern world. About the lives and decisions out of our control that seem to hold us all hostage. And the patterns that entrap us in other ways parents and children, myths and beliefs, childhood memories and fantasies of escape.
Past events
Just war, punishment and humanitarian intervention: The re-moralisation of the use of force
- Mitt Regan, Georgetown Law Center
Classical just war theory regarded punishment of wrongdoing a just cause for war. This idea has been rejected by most modern theorists, and especially prominently by international law in the decades since the end of World War II. For the most part, during these decades the use of force has been deemed legitimate by a state only in its own defense or in defense of another state that has requested assistance.
Global protection challenges and the New York declaration
- Assistant High Commissioner (Protection), Volker Türk
This year, the UN General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration – the first of its kind in 65 years – which affirms the core principles of refugee protection and sets the stage for sharing responsibilities for protection more equitably and widely from the outset of refugee situations.
The explosive President: Donald Trump’s migration policy and its impact on international law and non-discrimination principles
Recent executive orders issues by President Donald Trump have shocked many and created an unprecedented travel crisis.
40th Anniversary of the Federal Court of Australia
The ANU Centre for Commercial Law and Centre for International and Public Law are proud to announce a conference to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Federal Court of Australia.
ALRC inquiry into the incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Judge Matthew Myers AM, ALRC Commissioner
Judge Myers will speak about his work as ALRC Commissioner on the inquiry into the incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Fair trial rights in the European Court of Human Rights: Recent cases
- Dr Ryan Goss, ANU College of Law
Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects the right to a fair trial in civil and criminal proceedings. The Article 6 rights are the most heavily-litigated Convention rights before the European Court of Human Rights, generating a large and complex body of case law.
Julian Burnside in conversation with Simon Rice
- Julian Burnside
- Professor Simon Rice OAM
- Professor Stephen Bottomley
ANU/THE CANBERRA TIMES MEET THE AUTHOR
In Watching Out, a successor volume to his best-selling Watching Brief, noted barrister and human-rights advocate Julian Burnside explains the origins of our legal system, looks at the way it operates in practice, and points out ways in which does and doesn't run true to its ultimate purposes. Rich with fascinating case studies, and eloquent in its defence of civil society, Watching Out is a beacon of legal liberalism in an intemperate age.
Combatting impunity in grand corruption: the case for an International Anti-Corruption Court
- Mark L Wolf, Senior United States District Judge
Public corruption is endemic at the highest levels of government in many nations. Such ‘grand corruption’ is costly, closely correlated with the most serious abuses of human rights, and threatens the stability of many nations and the world. An International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC), similar to the ICC or as part of it, should now be established to provide a forum for the criminal enforcement of the laws prohibiting grand corruption that exist in virtually every country, and the undertakings that are requirements of various treaties and international organisations.
Is sovereignty necessary? The role of sovereignty in Indigenous child protection
- Professor Marcia Zug
This research seminar will examine whether a national law, similar to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), could be enacted in Australia. The ICWA was passed in response to the long history of government removals of Indian children from their families and tribes
The role of international human rights law in the prevention of ethnic conflicts
- Dr Fernand de Varennes, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues
It is sometimes forgotten that one of the premises of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is that it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law.
Brexit, referendums and deliberative democracy
- Dr Matt Qvortrup, Coventry University
The crime of aggression: Useless, anachronistic - and beautiful
- Professor Kevin Heller
Engaging armed non-State actors across the Indo-Pacific Region on humanitarian norms: Geneva Call’s approach and experience
- Alain Délétroz
- Taylor Landis
The Children Act- Film Screening and Panel discussion
- Professor Tom Faunce
- Justice John Faulks, former family Court Judge and ALRC commissioner,
- Justice Mary Finn, former family Court Judge, former member of the ANU Council
The ANU College of Law, Law Reform and Social Justice Program proudly presents The Children Act.
In Conversation with Ron McCallum
- Ron McCallum AO - The University of Sydney
- Professor Kim Rubenstein FAAL, FASSA - Australian National University
Ron McCallum AO will be in conversation with Professor Kim Rubenstein on Ron's memoir, Born at the Right Time.
The UN Human Rights Council and Australia
- Professor Hilary Charlesworth
Australia was elected as a member of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in 2017. In this seminar, Professor Hilary Charlesworth will talk about the role of the Council in promoting human rights and how Australia has engaged with the work of the Council.
LRSJ Careers Seminar: Promoting Human Rights with the Law
- Professor Hilary Charlesworth
Join LRSJ and Professor Hilary Charlesworth for lunch as we talk about her career path and more.
Protection from Refuge: The Role of Courts along the Refugee Journey
- Dr Kate Ogg
Join Dr Kate Ogg as she addresses one of the most significant problems facing the refugee protection regime: that the places in which people in need of international protection seek refuge are often as dangerous and bleak as the conditions they fled.
Transparency and accountability in the ‘age of information’
- Associate Professor Jolyon Ford
Join Associate Professor Jolyon Ford as he explores some design assumptions behind the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cwth), Australia’s new non-punitive yet mandatory corporate reporting scheme on human rights risks in supply chains.
Human Rights Act 2004 of the ACT
- Professor Miho Aoi
Join ANU College of Law Visiting Fellow Professor Miho Aoi as she discusses her research on the Human Rights Act 2004 (HRA) of the ACT. Her overall research plan is on the mode of Australian human rights protection, which can be said to be an exception compared to the global constitutionalism.
LRSJ Virtual Recruitment Drive 2021
Join the Law Reform and Social Justice (LRSJ) annual launch and recruitment drive to hear from our director, Associate Professor Matthew Zagor, our student leaders to learn about how to get involved.
Book Launch: Better Law for a Better World
- Dr Liz Curran
Join Dr Liz Curran in the launch of her new book, Better Law for a Better World: New Approaches to Law Practice and Education.
The Lawful Forest: A Critical History of Property, Protest and Spatial Justice
- Dr Cristy Clark
Hosted by the ANU College of Law Visitors Committee, this seminar will be presented by Dr Cristy Clark (University of Canberra Law School).
Modern slavery event series
Join ANU College of Asia Pacific and ANU College of Law in this two-day event series addressing modern slavery in the Oceania region and beyond.
Panel discussion: LGBTIQA* journeys
Join us as we speak to members of the ANU College of Law LGBTIQA* community about their experiences as students to leading change where they work now.
Alumni panel: Careers in social justice, law reform and advocacy
Join our alumni panel in this online discussion hosted by ANU Law Reform and Social Justice that explores careers in social justice, law reform and advocacy.
Modern slavery in supply chains: Assessing corporate reporting
Who makes our clothes and under what conditions do they work? Join experts and student research interns from ANU College of Law who will discuss the emerging patterns of corporate reporting on modern slavery.
