The 2010 Human Rights and Arts Festival will take place across Australia in May, with event in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Canberrra.

Festival Overview 2010

Evening Forum: Wednesday 21 April at 7.45 pm

Speakers Rev. Elenie Poulos and Dr Laura Grenfell

The evening forum aims to inform rather than direct. Speakers will present information and answer questions to assist you in making your own decisions as to whether Australia needs a Human Rights Act.

Morialta Uniting Church
26 Chapel Street, Magill, SA
phone (08) 8331 9344
email office@morialtauca.org.au
web www.morialtauca.org.au
Further information: Social Justice Team Leader 0427 122 106

Prevention and intervention in response to mass atrocity crimes

The purpose of this conference is to explain the parameters of this new principle of international law and political practice, to address the practicalities and problems of its implementation, to consider its potential application in the Asia-Pacific region, and to tackle again the vexed question of military intervention for humanitarian purposes.

The conference will be opened by Gareth Evans AO, QC, formerly President of the International Crisis Group, and will include a presentation by Professor Ramesh Thakur, formerly Rector of the United Nations University.

Only 140 places are available
Registrations close: 20 November 2009 (Please note that no refund will be available for cancellations made after 20 November 2009)
Tickets: $250 Student concession: $125
Registration and payment: www.acu.edu.au/R2PFor more information: ils@acu.edu.au

Friday 27-Saturday 28 November 2009
Christ Lecture Theatre
Australian Catholic University
17 Young Street Fitzroy VIC 3065
(Entrance is adjacent to 115 Victoria Parade)

An Australian Human Rights Act: Essential or Extraneous?
A public forum discussing the benefits and dangers of implementing a human rights act in Australia

Julian Leeser, Executive Director of the Menzies Research Centre
Edward Santow, Director, Charter of Human Rights Project, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law
David McKnight, Associate Professor at the Journalism and Media Research Centre at the UNSW

Date: Wednesday 25 November 2009
When:6:30pm
Where: NSW Parliament, Theatrette
Enter via Macquarie Street, Sydney
Entry: Free

A debate on the need for an Australian Bill of Rights sponsored by the Chinese Australian Forum in Sydney.

The Case For: Dr Sarah Pritchard, Barrister at Law
The Case Against: Julian Leeser, co-editor of Don’t Leave Us With The Bill
Moderator: Father Frank Brennan, Chair National Human Rights Consultation Committee

When: Friday, 20 November 2009, 6:30 for 7:00 pm
Where: China Grand Restaurant, Level 3, Market City,
9 Hay Street,Haymarket, Sydney.
Cost: Dinner Ticket $20/ Members & Concession $15

(Book Early-Free Parking @ Paddy’s Market after 5pm, conditions apply)

Full details click Here.

Liquid Learning is delighted to announce that it will host a Human Rights
Policy and Practice Forum on October 20-21, 2009 at The Rialto InterContinental Melbourne.

This event will provide practical value through case studies from leading experts and practitioners. The wide range of challenging views expressed and unique interactive format also sets the scene for rich debate and networking.

Full details will be posted shortly.

The Human Rights Law Resource Centre presents

The National Human Rights Consultation and the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Australia

The Hon Robert McClelland MP Attorney-General of Australia
Father Frank Brennan SJ AO Chair, National Human Rights Consultation Committee

Date: 10.30am - 12.00pm on Thursday, 8 October 2009

Venue: Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Melbourne, Victoria
RSVP: RSVP is essential to admin@hrlrc.org.au
Inquiries: admin@hrlrc.org.au or (03) 8636 4450

This event that will discuss developments in the legislative protection of human rights in Australia. The conference will consider the National Human Rights Consultation, and provide an update of developments in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, the ACT Human Rights Act and in NSW human rights law.

Leading Australian and international speakers will consider the National Consultation process, and what reforms it might lead to in Australia.

The conference will also address the constitutional dialogue model that is a feature of the human rights statutes in many countries of the British Commonwealth. Finally, the conference will consider some crucial further challenges in relation to human rights protection, including: the rights of Indigenous people; the protection of economic, social and cultural rights; and the intersection between human rights and religion.

Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Larissa Behrendt, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning (UTS)
The Hon Catherine Branson QC, President, Australian Human Rights Commission
Professor Andrew Byrnes, University of New South Wales
Professor Hilary Charlesworth AM and Renuka Thilagaratnam, Australian National University
Associate Professor Andrea Durbach, University of New South Wales
Associate Professor Simon Evans, Melbourne Law School
Professor Stephen A Gardbaum, University of California, Los Angeles
Mary Kostakidis, National Human Rights Consultation committee member
The Hon Keith Mason AC, Visiting Professorial Fellow, University of New South Wales
Phil Lynch, Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Dr John Tobin, Melbourne Law School
Associate Professor Kristen Walker, University of Melbourne

2 October 2009
Domain Theatre, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
The Domain
Sydney CBD

Conference brochure

This one day event that will discuss developments in the legislative protection of human rights
in Australia. The conference will consider the National Human Rights Consultation, and provide an update of
developments in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and  Responsibilities, the ACT Human Rights Act and in NSW
human rights law.

Leading Australian and international speakers will consider the National Consultation process, and
what reforms it might lead to in Australia. The conference will also address the constitutional dialogue model that is a
feature of the human rights statutes in many countries of the British Commonwealth.

Finally, the conference will consider some crucial further challenges in relation to human rights
protection, including: the rights of Indigenous peoples; the protection of economic, social and cultural rights; and human rights for people with a disability. The day is aimed at both a legal and non-legal audience.

2 October 2009
Domain Theatre
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
The Domain
Sydney CBDRegistration and payment are available online at www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au
Registration enquiries: Belinda McDonald, Administrator,
Gilbert + Tobin Centre (02) 9385 2257 or gtcentre@unsw.edu.au

The Evatt Foundation, The SAVE Inc and Professor Ron McCallum AO,former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney,

have pleasure inviting you to an evening discussion

‘Corporate Crime, Human Rights and Industrial Relations:

preventing a repetition of the James Hardie scandal’

Speakers Include:

Karen Banton, Widow of asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton

Bob Debus MP, Former NSW Attorney General

Matt Peacock, ABC journalist and author of KILLER COMPANY: JAMES HARDIE EXPOSED

Ron McCallum AO, Professor of Labour Law, University of Sydney

When: Thursday 10 September 2009, 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Where: The Theatrette, NSW Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney

This seminar, featuring Matt Peacock’s new book, “Killer Company:

James Hardie Exposed”, will be both timely and topical, with James

Hardie once more in the news after sentencing of the company’s former

directors and executives and its decision to relocate to Ireland.

This is a free seminar, however RSVP essential by email to:

admin@evatt.usyd.edu.au or (02) 8090 1170 by CoB September 8, 2009.

Seats are limited, allocated on first come first served basis.

The University of Adelaide Research Unit
for the Study of Society, Law and Religion
(RUSSLR), in conjunction with other local
and international institutions, will hold a
major conferencein Canberra on 13-15 August, 2009.

The topic “Cultural and Religious Freedom under a
bill of rights” is highly relevant to the current debate
in Australia on a bill or charter of rights.

The conference will examine the implications for
cultural and religious freedom of the proposed
bill from the perspectives of legislators and
policy makers, religious and community groups,
academics and the judiciary.

Participants include judges, leading academics,
community leaders, theologians and other experts
in law and religion from Australasia, America, Asia
and Europe.

Anyone interested in presenting a paper or
attending the conference, can email Peter Burdon,
RUSSLR Research Assistant, at:

 peter.d.burdon@adelaide.edu.au Closing date for the submission of
500-word abstracts is 15 June, 2009.

 For regularly updated conference information, see:
www.adelaide.edu.au/lawandreligion/conference_2009

As part of the Fringe Program of the 45th National Conference of the Australian Labor Party, the Evatt Foundation proudly presents:  

Labour & Human Rights:  An address by Geoffrey Robertson QC
Introduced by Julian Burnside AO QC
This event is open to the public generally. As a special offer to Conference participants, entry is free with an annual Evatt Foundation membership ($50 per annum). Note that numbers are limited and payment is required in advance.

Full details of this event on the  Evatt Foundation

Event date: 31 July 2009

Type: Public forum

Location: Trades Hall Auditorium, 4 Goulburn Street, Sydney

Time: Friday, 31 July, 5.45 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Cost: $40 ($20 concession)

RSVP: admin@evatt.usyd.edu.au or 8090 1170