Religious groups are allowed to provide dogmatic religious instruction to primary students in government schools. Is this acceptable in secular Australia? A sustained campaign against this practice from parents, educators and academics has long argued it is not. A new report from Liberty Victoria agrees, arguing that the ‘Special Religious Instruction’ program is a human rights law issue.
This report, prepared with Young Liberty for Law Reform, considers the Special Religious Instruction (SRI) program currently implemented in many Victorian government schools.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Mon, 03/08/2015 - 11:17
The decision by an Egyptian court to once again adjourn the re-trial of television’s “three brothers”, journalists Peter Greste, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy, came as they were awarded Australia’s top free speech honour. The next hearing is scheduled for 29 August 2015.
Members of the human rights organisation, Liberty Victoria, overwhelmingly nominated the “three brothers”, journalists Peter Greste, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy for Australia’s top free speech honour. The Voltaire award recognises an outstanding contribution to freedom of speech.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Thu, 20/08/2015 - 00:39
Liberty Victoria today warned against moves to wind back access to the courts for environmental groups.
The attack on access follows a successful challenge by a Queensland conservation group in the Federal Court that stopped Adani's Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland.
Liberty believes that removing the right of judicial review undermines government accountability and threatens the rule of law.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Mon, 24/08/2015 - 14:21
Liberty Victoria has welcomed the Victorian government’s decision to remove Special Religious Instruction (‘SRI’) from scheduled class time at government schools. The government has announced instead that SRI will only be available before or after school or at lunchtime.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Sun, 30/08/2015 - 23:38
A fortnight before three journalists are to receive an award for their work for press freedom two of them have been jailed.
Imprisoned are al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. Their outraged colleague, Australian Peter Greste, is home after being deported but was also given a three-year sentence. Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian citizen who worked as a producer for al-Jazeera English, was given an additional six months jail.
‘Age determination’ is the process by which a person’s age is assessed. In the immigration context, it refers to the processes used by the country receiving asylum seekers to determine whether a person is a minor or an adult. In Australia, the role of assessing the age of children is performed by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (the Department).
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Wed, 23/09/2015 - 08:41
More money is needed to support prisoners on release, leading to greater public safety and a saving of taxes.
The rights group, Liberty Victoria, said this today in welcoming the Victorian Ombudsman’s report into prisoner rehabilitation. Particularly pleasing are recommended changes to the educational opportunities for prisoners, which Liberty has long urged.
Liberty told the Ombudsman’s inquiry that prisoners should be given internet access for educational purposes under a state-first pilot program, and it supported a trial access program.
