Following the Voice failure, Indigenous politicians are calling for the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to be implemented. What is it and what would it mean?
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
2M ago
By Wayne Atkinson and Kevin Bell The Voice referendum was a disappointing result for many, but there is hope that much of its vision could be achieved via a different path. The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs has presented a report to federal parliament calling for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The committee was led by Uncle Patrick Dodson, a Yawuru poltician who is retiring from the senate on January 26, the anniversary of Australia’s invasion. The Decl ..read more
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After the Voice defeat, we can never again allow politics to suspend the cause of Indigenous justice
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
2M ago
By Paula Gerber and Melissa Castan In the lead-up to the Voice referendum there was widespread consensus that Australia needed to do more to improve the lives of First Nations peoples but there was significant disagreement about how to go about this. Australians rejected the proposal for a Voice to Parliament embedded in the constitution. This week marked 100 days since that unsuccessful referendum. By now we expected those who campaigned against the constitutional reform would have stepped up with their proposals about how to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. Alas, there has b ..read more
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The Voice: It’s a Marriage Proposal not a Divorce Petition
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
6M ago
By Paula Gerber The No campaign repeatedly says that Australians should not support the Voice because it is divisive. This fundamentally misconstrues what we are being asked to vote on. The Voice is like a marriage proposal, not a divorce petition. It is about unity, not division. The call for the Voice comes from the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The final sentence reads “We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.” This is an offer work together for a more harmonious future.  The referendum is akin to Indigenous Australians ‘popp ..read more
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The untold story of disability discrimination in Australia’s election and referendum procedures
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
6M ago
By Ethan Katz Australian electoral practices are often thought to be an almost best-practice example of democracy in action. Voters are granted a secret ballot, so that only they know who they voted for. The nation holds its elections on Saturdays, provides an ample pre-polling window and postal voting for people who may not be able to vote in person on election day, and has all of its redistricting and election counts conducted by a genuinely independent electoral commission. It is also mandatory for Australian adults to vote. Malcolm Mackerras and Ian McAllister believe that this set of ..read more
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“For with them our futures rest”: Reflections on the Voice to Parliament from a lifetime advocating for the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
6M ago
By Muriel Bamblett For me, like many Aboriginal people, there are many visible and invisible challenges when putting an Aboriginal voice in the room. You never really know the people in the room or what their knowledge and experiences of Aboriginal people are. Nor whether they believe the myths and stereotypes of ‘Aboriginal’. There is also the challenge of addressing theknowledge, skills, and awareness gaps that Australia has in relation to its First Peoples. For me, the Aboriginal voice is not a single voice. It is a collective voice of a people who all speak in unison, but not always u ..read more
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‘Ask Us First’: a student-lead Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Voice to Parliament Clinic project
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
6M ago
By Alexandra George This month, the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law launched ASK US FIRST, a video campaign advocating for a YES vote in the upcoming referendum on the Voice. ASK US FIRST centres First Nations voices in the debate and encourages non-Indigenous Australians to respond generously and from the heart to their invitation. The Uluru Statement from the Heart invited all Australians to walk together for a better future, and to start that process by enshrining an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution.  However, polling suggests that the question undeci ..read more
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The Voice referendum is in the national interest
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
7M ago
By Melissa Castan and Lynette Russell Despite the political debate that has ensued around the Voice proposal, the choice of an institutional advisory body that informs Parliament and the executive government is entirely unremarkable. It is a modest proposal. We barely cast a glance at the work of the Productivity Commission or the Australian Law Reform Commission, both of which are mainstream advisory bodies to the national government. They inform law-making; their advice may be considered, or not. Similarly, the Voice to Parliament will have the capacity to inform policy and reform, but it is ..read more
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Gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan: Recognising the crime in international law
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
8M ago
By Helen Dosky The Ham Diley Campaign, together with Monash Law Clinics held an event for International Women’s Day in March to celebrate the courage of the brave women of Iran and Afghanistan. The Campaign is a volunteer initiative created by three human rights lawyers in response to the Taliban’s violent return to power in Afghanistan and supported by students at the Monash Afghanistan Support Clinic. Since the event, it has almost been one year since the protests in Iran began, sparked by the premature death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Many parallels exist between the treatment of women and girls ..read more
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Why is the Voice to Parliament focused just on Indigenous Australians?Why no Voice vote for all minorities?
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
8M ago
By Paula Gerber One of the questions people are asking about the Voice to Parliament is why the proposed amendment to the constitution is to create a voice for one group only? Why a Voice for Indigenous Australians, but not a voice for people with disabilities? Or for Muslims? Or for women? Or for LGBTQ+ people? This is a fair question. Let me try and answer it. To put it simply, Indigenous Australians are the only minority group who are actually asking for a Voice to Parliament. Other groups have other asks. For example, a priority for the LGBTQ+ community is that they are counted in the next ..read more
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Why is it legal to tell lies during the Voice referendum campaign?
Castan Centre
by Castan Centre
9M ago
By Luke Beck A referendum to recognise First Nations Australians in Australia’s Constitution by establishing a Voice to Parliament will be held later this year. The Voice would be an advisory body allowing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make representations to parliament and government on matters that affect them. Campaigning for the “yes” and “no” sides is well under way. However, misinformation and disinformation are a feature of some of the public discussion. Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney this week even accused the “no” campaign of engaging in “post ..read more
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