Why is the Human Rights Commission not defending Bill Leak’s right to free speech? Does the government wish to ban jokes? Is satire no longer acceptable? Why is the Human Rights Commission not defending the QUT students’ right to criticize authority? Does the government wish its Universities to dissuade dissent and to stifle debate? Why are Human Rights Commissioners encouraged to tout for business? Does the government wish to ignore the conflict of interest that this creates? Why is the head of the Human Rights Commission allowed to lie to senate committees? Does the government grant itself and its institutions special immunities? Does it hold them to lesser standards? Through its laws, its
In July 2016, following the expose on Four Corners, Prime Minister Turnbull announced a Royal Commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory. Many of our indigenous citizens live appalling lives in fractured communities. Far too many indigenous teenagers are incarcerated. Their treatment there is horrific, brutal and inhumane. It is morally unacceptable. Something must be done. How effective will a Royal Commission be? Is it the appropriate solution? Has the real problem been identified? To be effective, any solution must consider why so many indigenous teenagers are in the prison system and how to reduce the numbers entering it. We cannot ignore the fact that fractured communi
