Human rights: do we need them?
Photo by Ern Mainka
Last year the Rudd Government rejected the National Human Rights Consultation Committee’s recommendation that the government establish a Human Rights Act and now the Victorian Charter is under challenge.
Do Australians need to have their human rights protected? Or do we need more protection? These questions will be answered at the 2011 Costello Lecture on Thursday 15 September, 2011.
Prominent barrister Mr Brian Walters SC will discuss whether we need to consider more than the rights of humans in this period of climate change in his address, Enlarging our vision of rights.
A Monash alumnus, Mr Walters is a senior counsel with a passion for human rights advocacy and the environment. He is the former president of Liberty Victoria and has written and spoken widely on human rights issues. He has campaigned on numerous environmental issues, from the Franklin River in Tasmania to the forests of East Gippsland.
This annual lecture is devoted to ethics and social justice and named after Monash alumnus and World Vision Australia CEO Reverend Tim Costello AO, who presented the inaugural lecture in 2001.
The winner of the Castan Centre Writing for Human Rights Essay Competition for secondary students will also be announced on the night.
Victorian school students from Years 10, 11 and 12 were earlier this year invited to submit an essay on the subject Social media is free speech gone mad, and were asked to look at the many ways in which social media is having an impact on freedom of speech and expression.
Professor Sarah Joseph, Director of the Castan Centre said it was exciting to see the quality of the submissions received for the competition.
“This was such a wonderful opportunity for the students to look at the issues of free speech and human rights and how the immediacy of social media affects them,” Professor Joseph said.
“It is an emerging area human rights advocates will have to look at more closely in the future.”
The lecture and award presentation will be held on Thursday 15 September, 2011 at the Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne from 6 – 7.15pm.
RSVPs are required by Friday 9 September, 2011 by calling (03) 9905 2630 or emailing law-marketing@monash.edu.