The Australian
Human Rights Centre
The
Report
of Activities 2000-2001
This report
covers the period from
1.
Director
In
May 2000, the then Director of The Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC)
resigned suddenly. Dr
2.
Management Committee
The
AHRC is managed by a Management Committee. In 2001 the members of the
Management Committee were:
Dr
The
Management Committee held 14 meetings during the period covered by this report
(seven in 2000 and seven in 2001). As a matter of urgency, the Committee
decided to undertake a review the structure and activities of the AHRC and make
whatever changes were necessary to ensure that it was consistent with its aims
and conformed to the guidelines for centres at UNSW.
3. AHRC
Restructure
The
Committee dedicated the first phase of its work to strengthening the internal
structures of the AHRC and reviewing its activities. It was especially
concerned to ensure that its publications program was established on firm
foundations. The publishing program at that time consisted of the Australian
Human Rights Journal, the Human Rights Defender and the two books
still awaiting completion: Children on the Agenda and Prisoners as
Citizens.
Consistent
with this, the Committee reviewed the mission of the AHRC. It affirmed that its
approach to human rights should be based on an integrated vision of all human
rights, which embraced civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights
as set out in the International Bill of Human Rights, and which were
inter-related and inter-dependent.
The
Committee agreed to merge the Australian Human Rights Information Centre
(AHRIC) with the Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC) and to retain the name
of Australian Human Rights Centre for the merged bodies. The Committee agreed to reconstitute the
present Advisory Committee as the Advisory Committee for the newly merged body
(AHRC). As part of this process, it undertook to review the membership of the
Advisory Committee.
The
Committee considered it necessary to focus the second phase of the period
covered by this report on a review of its Constitution, and drawing up a
Program of Work that reflected a pro-active approach to the implementation of
its aims. This review was to include a
re-assessment of the Documentation Centre and research activities of the AHRC.
The
Committee discussed its constitution at length. It agreed to adopt a draft
constitution which subsumes the work of the former Australian Human Rights
Centre and Australian Human Rights Information Centre. The draft constitution is attached as Annex A
to the present report.
The
Committee reassessed its activities and adopted a Program of Activity for the
following two sessions of the University calendar.
As
a result of these developments the following restructuring took place:
(a)
Publications.
The
members of the Committee shared responsibilities among themselves for the
various tasks and projects required by the publishing program.
·
A Publications
Committee was established to oversee and coordinate the publishing program and
resolve the difficulties with the publishers.
·
The relationship with
Prospect Media, the publishers of AHRC publications, was resolved when Prospect
Media ceased to exist in mid 2001 as a result of a merger with Lexus/Nexus Butterworths. AHRC signed an agreement with Lexus/Nexus Butterworths to continue publishing the Australian Human
Rights Journal and AHRC books.
·
A panel of student and
academic editors was established to edit the Journal which, it was resolved, should continue to be published
twice a year.
·
A student Intern was
appointed to work on the Journal.
·
An Acting Managing
Editor of the Human Rights Defender was appointed to re-establish the Defender
and make it viable. A publishing program of three issues a year was agreed
upon.
·
Editors were appointed
to complete the editing and publication of the two unfinished AHRC books.
·
As a result of this
restructuring, the publication program of the AHRC was maintained throughout
the period covered by this report, when 4 issues were published.
(b)
Research and Teaching
The teaching and research program of the
AHRC was also reviewed. As a result:
·
In 2001 the necessary
infrastructure was put in place for the Centre to participate in the internship
program run by the Faculty of Law under the auspices of the Social Justice
Project.
·
Plans were made for
the Centre to supervise one Intern in Session 1, 2002 and two Interns in
Session 2, 2002. This is in addition to the Journal Intern whose work is
supervised by the Publications Committee.
·
Arrangements were made
for the Centre Director to conduct a course on Human Rights Law in Session 1,
2002.
·
A realistic program
was established for 2002.
(c)
The volunteer program
The
volunteer program of the AHRC has always been an important part of its activity
and essential in maintaining its program of activities, especially its
publications. In order to develop this, the Management Committee
·
Asked the Director to
formalize the volunteer program by assigning volunteers to a particular
activity ensuring that it had Centre supervision.
·
Agreed that the Centre
Co-ordinator would expand her role to include some
volunteer supervision.
·
AHRC has launched an
initiative for the establishment of an inter-disciplinary Chair for Human Rights
at the University.
(d)
Documentation Centre
In
line with its stated intention, the Committee decided to undertake the task of
rehabilitating the AHRC’s Documentation facility in
the Law Library.
(e) Finances
The
Management Committee asked the Faculty Administrator to review the finances of
the Centre and ensure that its accounts were in order.
A
Centre Co-ordinator was appointed with primary
responsibility for developing a structure for receiving subscriptions for the Human
Rights Defender. She is employed
flexibly for one afternoon per week.
4. Centre Activities 2001
(a)
Publications
·
The Australian Journal
of Human Rights. Four issues of the Journal were
published during the period covered by this report (two in 2000 and two in
2001). One issue each year was a general one and one with a special theme. The
special edition in 2001 was on the Mandatory Sentencing Symposium. The Journal
is edited by a team of student and academic editors. It is a refereed journal
and effective systems are in place to ensure its smooth production. These
systems are managed by the Journal Intern in co-operation with the Centre Co-ordinator.
·
The Human Rights
Defender. The Defender
was the subject of a review as to its scope, purpose and readership. After canvassing the readership, a database
was re-constructed that now provides a realistic and accurate list of
subscribers indicating the status of their subscription. The Committee, after a trial period during
which two issues of the Defender were published in the second half of
2000, decided to continue publishing the Defender as a useful, albeit
non-academic, publication of the Centre. Three issues of the Defender were
published in 2000 and 2001. It is produced with the help of a Managing Editor
(academic), a Student Managing Editor, a volunteer layout/design assistant and
a panel of (student) editors.
·
Books.
During the period covered by this report, the Committee attended to the
completion of two books that were outstanding from previous years. Editing of the first of these books, Children
on the Agenda, was completed and published in 2001. Work on the second book, Prisoners as
Citizens, began in 2001. It is being produced in association with HREOC and
is expected to be published in the first half of 2002.
·
Following the
University Symposium on Mandatory Sentencing, which took place on
(b) Web Page
In
addition to re-assessing its publications program, the Committee, with the
support of AustLII, set up a Home Page within the
University’s Website in 2001. This is a further means of disseminating the Centre’s research and publications.
(c) Documentation Centre
Work
on rehabilitating the Documentation Center included cleaning up and up-grading
the collection of human rights documentation and the installation of the first
two of four dedicated work stations to enable the transition to a wider, more
accessible virtual collection of United Nations Human Rights documentation as
well as documentation from other sources.
In this manner, the Centre plans to provide a facility for specialised or advanced human rights study and research,
consistent with its work program. The work has been carried out by student
volunteers, the Centre’s Interns and other volunteers
who have spent many hours sorting and cataloguing the material which has been
donated to the Centre. It is anticipated that this work should be completed by
the end of 2002. However, it is already operating as a resource for students on
campus and other human rights researchers.
(d) Other Human Rights Bodies
The
Centre has established contact with other institutions in the region including
the Osaka Human Rights Centre and the network of human rights centers in the
Asia-Pacific region it is setting up.
It
has received delegations from visiting human rights institutions from
(e) Research
The
Centre sent a brief written submission to the Senate Mandatory Sentencing
Enquiry and was represented at the oral hearings by Emeritus Professor Garth Nettheim.
Through
the Director and the Co-ordinator, the Centre was
involved with the Centre for Refugee Research in the development and
organization for the international Conference on Refugee Law and the 1951
Convention: “The 1951 Convention
Relating to Refugees; Where to from here?” , held at UNSW in December 2001.
AHRC
initiated a move to establish an inter-disciplinary Chair of Human Rights at
UNSW. A committee was established and preliminary investigations into the
viability and funding of the Chair were made.
The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights provides that:-
Education should be directed to the full
development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Senate Legal and
Constitutional References Committee’s 1995 Report, Trick or Treaty? Commonwealth Power to Make and Implement
Treaties, expressed concern that the Australian
public does not have access to adequate information about the United Nations
and the role of Treaties.
In 1995, the United Nations General
Assembly proclaimed the years 1995-2004 as the United Nations Decade for Human
Rights Education.
In 1995, the Australian Human Rights
Centre at the
Objectives
The Australian Human Rights (AHRC) will
seek to increase public awareness about human rights procedures, standards and
issues within the Asia-Pacific region.
AHRC will provide accessible information
on human rights to the general public and, in particular, to NGOs, government
departments, human rights advocates, community legal centres,
journalists, educators, researchers and students.
AHRC will maintain a comprehensive
collection of human rights documentation, provide an on-line date base service,
undertake research and prepare publications, organize human rights educational
activities and, within available resources respond to requests for technical
advice in the area of human rights.
Documentation Centre
The documentation centre is located on
level 8, R833, in the Law Library of the
The documentation centre will be
accessible to the public during library opening hours.
The documentation centre’s
holdings will include primary United Nations, regional and Australian
documentation, as well as relevant secondary materials. In developing its
collection, AHRC will focus on the acquisition of United Nations and Australian
material. In the medium term, AHRC also plans to acquire documentation relating
to human rights issues in the Asia-Pacific region and initiatives towards the
establishment of regional arrangements for the protection and promotion of
human rights. AHRC will also acquire documentation of other regional human
rights mechanisms.
Database & Internet
The database, combined with a homepage on
the internet, will provide remote access to human rights information.
The homepage will initially facilitate
access to primary United Nations and Australian material and links to other
databases. AHRC plans to develop the database to provide access to information
concerning legislative, judicial and administrative human rights developments
in
AHRC also plans to develop a network to
enable human rights organisations and educators in
the Asia-Pacific region to maintain electronic bulletin boards and conferences,
send out network alerts, collaborate on human rights projects and advocacy
issues, maintain events, calendars and put out other relevant information.
The Australian Legal Information
Institute (AustLII) will collaborate with AHRC in
developing and maintaining the AHRIC database and homepage.
Research and Publications
AHRC will prepare accessible publications
on domestic human rights and equal opportunity machinery and on international
human rights complaint procedures. In
the preparation of such publications AHRC will consult with particular client
groups and advocacy organisation, and where
appropriate, supervise their translation into regional languages.
AHRC will also initiate and assist research into specific human
rights issues.
AHRC will develop a programme of human
rights educational activities including courses, conferences and seminars on
the UN Human Rights system and on particular human rights issues.
In developing educational activities, AHRC will consult with
relevant client groups such as women, indigenous peoples, people of non-English
speaking background, older people, children and youth, gays and lesbians, and
with relevant advocacy organisations.
Within available resources, AHRC will respond to requests for
technical assistance and advisory services.
The Australian Human Rights Centre (AHRC) is formed at the Faculty
of Law,
The Australian Human Rights Centre will be managed by a Management
Committee comprising academics and other interested persons from UNSW and other
universities and other interested persons as deemed suitable.
AHRIC will have
an Advisory Council consisting of representatives of the Human Rights Centre,
Faculties of Arts, Commerce and Law, Law Library, AustLII,
human rights organisation and experts. The Advisory
Council will provide broad policy input into the operation of AHRIC, advocacy
and representation of AHRIC and expert advice in particular areas. (NB The newly constituted AHRC subsumed the AHRIC Advisory
Council.)