REMARKS AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY MEDAL AND AWARDS
Sydney
10 December 2009
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First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on – and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.
- President, the Hon Catherine Branson QC, and Commissioners of the Australian Human Rights Commission;
- Privacy Commissioner, Ms Karen Curtis;
- President of the Law Council of Australia, Mr John Corcoran;
- President of UNIFEM Australia, Ms Susan Conde;
- Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Andrew Metcalf;
- Award winners;
- Ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today and present the Human Rights Medal.
The Rudd Government strongly supports the recognition of those who promote and protect human rights in Australia.
I congratulate President Catherine Branson and the Australian Human Rights Commission for their work not only in organising this ceremony, but in the tremendous work they do in advancing human rights in Australia and in engaging with the community internationally to advance the cause of human rights.
Australia is back in the game internationally.
In the last 12 months, we taken a number of actions, including:
- acceding to the Optional Protocol on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- signing the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture;
- introducing legislation to implement a specific Commonwealth offence of torture and extending the application of the prohibition on the death penalty to State laws; and
- introducing legislation to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act in relation to the Northern Territory Emergency Response and amendments to the measures to ensure they conform with our human rights obligations.
As many of you would recall, one year ago today I launched the National Human Rights Consultation. The Consultation was the biggest community consultation in Australia’s history.
The report, which I released in October this year, recognised that Australia has a strong human rights record but identified areas where we can do better.
Among other measures, the report recommends that education be the highest priority for improving and promoting human rights in Australia. Clearly, the Australian Human Rights Commission can play an important part in this area.
The report also highlighted the fact that when we talk about human rights, we are not merely talking about esoteric principles; we are also talking about improving the lives of everyday Australians.
In that respect, today’s award recipients highlight how ordinary Australians continue to make extraordinary contributions to improving the lives of our fellow citizens, and in so doing, advancing the cause of human rights in a real and meaningful sense.
I congratulate all award recipients and all those who have been nominated for awards for their outstanding and selfless achievements.
Thank you.