The Proposed Ban of the Swastika in Victoria

Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Tue, 17/05/2022 - 09:01

The Proposed Ban of the Swastika in Victoria

The Summary Offences Amendment (Nazi Symbol Prohibition) Bill 2022 (Vic)

 

Liberty Victoria is deeply worried by the emergence of far-right extremism, but opposes the ban of the ‘hakenkreuz’ for the reasons set out in our joint submission to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS).[1]

Liberty Victoria awards the 2022 Voltaire Empty Chair Award to Mehdi Ali

Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Tue, 17/05/2022 - 09:53

Liberty Victoria is awarding the 2022 Voltaire Empty Chair Award to Mehdi Ali, a refugee from Ahvaz, Iran who had been held in detention by Australia since 2013 including at the Park Hotel in Melbourne. He was held in detention by Australia for almost a decade, from the age 15 until he was 24. He has now been afforded protection in the United States.

Mehdi has been a powerful and tireless advocate for refugees and people seeking asylum in detention, including onshore detention.

Inquiry into Children Affected by Parental Incarceration

Sentencing a parent or caregiver has a direct impact on a child, in particular where the caregiver is incarcerated and separated from their children. The imprisonment of a parent can have socio-economic impacts, compound pre-existing disadvantage and significantly affect their mental and physical health. Parental imprisonment can inflict different harms on children, including unemployment, substance misuse, low academic attainment and anti-social behaviour

Summary of Recommendations

Image: 

Submission to the Inquiry into the Application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Australia

We welcome the opportunity to provide a submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee’s Inquiry into the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Australia (the Inquiry).

The Federal Government should develop a national program to implement UNDRIP and schedule it to the definition of human rights in the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 (Cth), so that all new legislation is assessed for compatibility with it along with other foundational international human rights instruments.

Image: 

Inquiry into Extremism in Victoria

Two dominant issues have contributed to a recent increase in right-wing extremism: shared grievances and crises of identity. The underlying social and structural issues that are fuelling systemic inequality, injustice, racism as well as a declining trust in institutions, government authority and the media all contribute to an understanding of why there has been growth in far-right extremist views within Victoria, Australia and globally.

Image: 

Pages