Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Wed, 27/04/2016 - 17:23
Young Liberty for Law Reform, a program of one of Australia’s leading civil liberties organisations, Liberty Victoria, released a report today shining a light on a dark corner of our democracy. The report recommends fundamental and urgent changes to the laws that apply to whistleblowers in our immigration system, and calls on the Commonwealth Government to end a culture of secrecy.
Liberty Victoria has consistently raised concerns about the deleterious effect that offshore detention has on the human rights and well-being of asylum seekers, and of the Australian government’s outsourcing and obfuscation of its responsibilities under both domestic and international law.[1]
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Fri, 03/06/2016 - 17:23
Whatever happened to the idea of freedom of speech, of freedom to debate diverse political and ideological views? These should be the very hallmarks of a just and democratic society like Australia’s.
Since that is so, why has Roz Ward been suspended from her job at La Trobe University for doing no more than expressing a political opinion? Liberty Victoria, one of the nation’s leading civil liberties advocacy organisations, is shocked by this action.
Liberty Victoria welcomed the opportunity to make this submission in relation to the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s (Commission) review of the Role of the Victims of Crime in the Criminal Trial Process (Review).
Central to the Commission’s review is the question: what should the role of the victim be in the criminal trial process? In relation to consideration of this question, the Commission has indicated that it will inform itself with respect to what can be learnt from practice and what can be learnt from theory.
The legal apparatus that provides for a person with a cognitive disability to be detained, without review and on an indefinite basis, is concerning. The right to liberty, and the associated right to humane treatment while being deprived of liberty, are core tenets of Liberty Victoria[1] and are also enshrined under international human rights law.[2]
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Fri, 29/04/2016 - 17:23
Fresh from his nomination for a Logie in next month’s awards, the commentator, academic, lawyer, presenter and rock musician Waleed Aly has been named as an Australian leader in free speech.
He will receive the Voltaire Award from the human rights group Liberty Victoria, given annually to the person or organisation making an outstanding contribution to free speech.
Announcing the award Liberty President George Georgiou SC said today: “There can be no doubting the clarity and the courage of Waleed Aly’s contributions to many areas crucial to public life in Australia.
