Monthly Archives: February 2014

Feb 25

2014-02-17 Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award

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I was honoured to receive the Paul Harris Award for “Humanitarian Service to Society” at  the Rotary International Sydney CBD Branch meeting held on Monday 17 February.  On that night Rotary International has celebrated its 109th Anniversary by presenting unsung heroes in the community with Paul Harris Recognitions.
The Paul Harris Award is named after the Rotary International founder Paul Harris. The world’s first service club, the rotary Club of Chicago was formed on February 23rd, 1905 by Paul Harris, an attorney who wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices. Rotary’s popularity spread, and within a decade, clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg Canada.  By 1921, Rotary Clubs had been formed on six continents, including Australia, with Melbourne and Sydney being first clubs chartered in this country.  The organisation adopted the Rotary International name a year later.   As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members’ professional interests. Rotarian began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organisation’s dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its motto” Service Above Self.
In order to make the Paul Harris recognition, the Sydney CBD Club Rotarians have had to donate US$1000 per recognition to the Rotary International to carry out its excellent worldwide humanitarian programs.
Feb 03

2014-02-03 Kids in detention: New AHRC Inquiry

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Today the Australian Human Rights Commission has announced the second inquiry into the human rights of children in immigration detention. See:  www.humanrights.gov.au/national-inquiry-children-immigration-detention-2014

Between 2002 and 2004 I as the Australian Human Rights Commissioner have conducted the first inquiry that resulted in a report ‘A Last Resort? National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention’ tabled in Parliament on the Budget day 2004. This report found that the mandatory immigration detention of children was fundamentally inconsistent with Australia’s international human rights obligations and that detention for long periods created a high risk of serious mental harm. In response the Howard Government released all children and their families from immigration detention few months later.

Certainly the repetition of my inquiry is the highest form of flattery but timing is very odd. When the boats were arriving in large numbers and Labor was at its peak of cruelty towards the boat arrivals AHRC almost did not see the problem and the newly appointed Children Rights Commissioner was proclaiming that her jurisdiction is limited to domestic matters.

 It would be interesting to learn what AHRC jurisdiction is over Manus and Nauru. Also, how its findings will add to the 2004 report’s findings and recommendations. Let’s hope the inquiry is not only a political exercise in consciousness raising but that it will bring a permanent end to the long term immigration detention of children.