Launch of ITIS YOUR RIGHT!

SETTLEMENT COUNCIL CONFERENCE
MULTICULTURAL CENTRE, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 28 MAY 2009
 
First, may I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on – and pay my respects to their elders, both past and present.
 
·        Chair, Ms Eugenia Tsoulis OAM, Conference Convenor
·        The Honourable Laurie Ferguson MP,
        Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services
·        Mr John Hargreaves MLA, ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs
·        Ms Ricci Bartels, Chairperson, Settlement Council of Australia
·        Ladies and Gentlemen
 
Thank you Eugenia.  It is a pleasure to be here today at your first national conference to launch the Australian Human Rights Commission’s new education resources kit, It’s your right!
 
It is timely that this kit is launched at your conference which is looking at how settlement services can help build a future for social inclusion.
 
The protection and promotion of human rights is integral to achieving social inclusion – without this, people are at risk of becoming, or being left marginalised and unable to participate fully in their community.

This result is not only detrimental to the individual but also to our wider community and the values we uphold.
 
Writing in 1925 Charles Hughes, who subsequently became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States said:
 
“The most ominous sign of our time as it seems to me, is the indication of the growth of an intolerant spirit.  It is more dangerous when armed, as it usually is, with sincere conviction. It is a spirit whose wrath must be turned away by the soft answers of sweet reasonableness.”

I would also add information, education and communication.
 
As part of the Government’s commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights, it is essential that information about rights is accessible to all and not left to debate and discussion among the select few.
 
That is where this new kit fits in.

In short, the kit provides information about human rights for adults learning English to build awareness about the protection and promotion of rights in Australia. It also complements and enhances communication skills.
 
I would like to commend the partnership between the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Adult Multicultural Education Service (Victoria) in working together to develop this resource kit. 
 
This partnership has resulted in what I am sure will be a very useful teaching resource for people to develop their English skills and increase their knowledge about human rights and equal opportunity laws in Australia.
 
I encourage its wide application, and very much welcome that it will be provided free to all of the Government’s Adult Migrant Education Providers across Australia.  This means it will be available to adult migrants, humanitarian entrants and refugees to Australia.
 
I would also like to acknowledge the work of Parliamentary Secretary, the Laurie Ferguson, who is responsible for settlement services.

It’s Your Right! Resource Kit
 
As I have mentioned, the approach taken in the kit is designed to help people consider and understand human rights issues in their everyday life, as well as provide information and strategies to deal with discrimination and harassment.
 
Indirectly, it also provides a mechanism to increase participation in civic life, and by doing so, addresses marginalisation and alienation of ethnic and religious groups.
 
The resource kit uses real life examples where people may have been unfairly treated or denied what we would call ‘a fair go’ because of grounds such as their race, sex, age or disability.
 
Such treatment can have significant consequences for a person – it may mean a person is unable to get a job, join a club, access public areas or get accommodation.
 
The resource materials not only explain, in an easy to read format, what might amount to unfair treatment or unlawful discrimination but also sets out some of the services that are available, including those provided by the Commission, which can help someone who has been unfairly treated.
 
For many of us raised in Australia, if we were facing a situation of unfair treatment we would know that human rights are protected through anti-discrimination laws and other measures.  We would also be aware of the services that could help. 
 
For people new to Australia, however, this is not necessarily as well known or understood – and here education is the key.
 
Education about human rights and increasing the accessibility of such information is important.
 
The protection and promotion of human rights enhances our ability to work and live together in an inclusive society where we respect the capacity and value of each and every person.

For me – this is what human rights means in practice.
 
National Human Rights Consultation
 
The Government recognises this is important.
 
That is why, we have launched a nationwide consultation to be undertaken by an independent Committee on how best to protect and promote human rights and responsibilities in Australia.
 
The Committee has been keen to ensure that they hear from as many people as possible.  By the end of their consultations, the Committee will have undertaken around 70 roundtable discussions across Australia and received over 18,000 written submissions. 
 
The Committee is also keen to reach out to hear from marginalised groups who may not ordinarily participate in these meetings. 
This includes people who have newly arrived to Australia.
 
Considerable effort has been made to ensure that sessions are widely advertised including the translation of adverts for the roundtables into a number of community languages and publication in ethnic community papers and radio stations.
 
In the coming weeks, there will be targeted sessions which will enable the views of these groups to be fed into the broader consultation process.
 
Although the Committee will not report to Government until the end of August, I think that what has been highlighted to date is that education will have a significant role to play in enhancing Australia’s human rights culture.
 
I would also like to thank the Australian Human Rights Commission for its early involvement in the Consultation process through its ‘Let’s Talk About Rights’ education program.
 
I am currently working with the Education Minister, Julia Gillard, to ensure that human rights education is promoted in Australia.  And to that end, ensure it forms part of the civics and citizenship curriculum for students of all age groups in each State and Territory.

Conclusion
 
It’s your right! challenges us all to think creatively about the application of human rights, and brings fresh energy to their development.
 
I am confident that this resource kit will not only help individuals to understand human rights but also to look forward and contribute to the development of our society.
 
I congratulate President Catherine Branson, her staff, and the staff of the Adult Multicultural Education Service (Victoria) for their first-class stewardship in developing this project.
 
Thank you also Ricci, Eugenia and the members of the Settlement Council of Australia for kindly allowing time in your Conference for this event.
 
It’s my great pleasure to declare It’s your right! officially launched.
 
Thank you.