Human Rights Law and Policy
Human Rights Law and Policy
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In the Media
Safeguarding the rights of older persons
Christie Gardiner writes in ANU Reporter
European Union and Iran meet to stabliise nuclear deal
Kevin Boreham interviewed by The Daily: 2SER
High Court judgements on Section 44 and Citizenship
Kim Rubenstein interviewed by Sky News
The Australian Legal Assistance Sector and the Critical Importance of Justice to Human Lives
Elizabeth Curran writes in Oxford Human Rights Hub
Israel revoking the residency of Palestinians living in Jerusalem
Kevin Boreham speaks to 2SER
ERITREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS IMPRISONED IN ISRAEL
Kevin Boreham speaks to 2SR
The Ellis defence: May new legislation force change in the church
Elizabeth Curran writes in The Age - Letters to the Editor
Human rights risks and regulatory trends in supply chains
Jolyon Ford interviewed by CIBER Focus
Same-sex marriage legislation could become law 'within days'
Ryan Goss speaks to News.com.au
Zimbabwe crisis an elite, not populist issue
Jolyon Ford speaks to ABC's The World Today
Upcoming events
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.
Past events
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Business, human rights and peace in popular culture (511.02 KB)Blockbuster movies such as Blood Diamond or Avatar explore corporate responsibility themes in various ways. How might such popular culture products affect the emerging regulatory landscape on business-related human rights impacts and conflict-sensitive business practices? What role might popular culture -- in particular ‘big screen’ movies -- have to play in fostering greater awareness of, and business respect for, these norms and standards? Most scholarship on addressing the governance gap in these areas is directed to ‘supply-side’ factors -- how to design or improve legal, regulatory and policy initiatives. Scholars in the ‘business and human rights’ and ‘business for peace’ fields have focussed relatively little on insights as to the ‘demand side’ -- whether, how and to what extent consumer behaviour may be relevant in driving shifts in business practices or in complementing or demanding governmental action. This working paper explores a possible research agenda on how the nexus of business, human rights and peace is treated in pop culture, and what (if any) significance this might have to the universe of regulatory and other activity in this field. It asks how important pop culture might be in shaping a critical mass of informed consumers, a potentially relevant regulatory resource.
The quantity and quality of political opinion polling are sources of concern for electoral democracies worldwide. A significant number of countries regulate polling by embargoing publication in the latter stages of the election period, or by mandating disclosure of key information about each poll. Such regulation, however, is rare in common law systems, where ‘free speech’ arguments tend to hold sway, sublimating concern for the deliberative health of political discourse. This article examines the issue, comparing regulation and case law internationally in light of the evolution, benefits and pathologies of opinion polling. A distinction can be made between polling on issues, which permit us all to reflect on the positions of fellow citizens on substantive issues, and the almost endless stream of polling on voting intentions, which offers little from a deliberative perspective. We recommend regulation to ensure disclosure, at the point of publication, of key information about each opinion poll (eg who conducted it, the wording of questions and margins of error), as well as a campaign-period embargo on publishing electoral opinion polling.
This paper examines the growth of transnational governance, and what it means for business lawyers advising multinational corporate clients. The term “governance” incorporates the network of actors, instruments and mechanisms that now govern transnational corporations, separate from the nation state. It is reasonable to expect that lawyers play an important role in advising business clients on how to effectively operate within this system. Indeed, many transnational legal instruments are intended to enhance clients’ business goals by enabling them to engage more efficiently in cross-border commerce. Other forms of regulation, such as human rights regulation, purports to impose requirements on companies that go beyond what is necessary to enhance cross-border commerce.
In this paper we discuss the transnational governance regime that has arisen to address the adverse human rights impacts of business activities. We focus in particular on the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011. We ask what if any role is there for lawyers in fostering acknowledgment and fulfilment of these responsibilities among clients? Is the duty to respect human rights a “legal” obligation in any sense? If a lawyer does provide advice, should it encompass only legal risks to the company that fall within the lawyer’s traditionally defined specialized expertise? Or should it go beyond that to include other concerns?
