I had a pleasure to address the Year 10 in Al Amanah College in Liverpool (see: http://www.alamanah.nsw.edu.
The students have shown a great interest in human rights issues and a lively discussion followed. At the conclusion students were awarded, on behalf of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education, the Citizen for Humanity Certificate.
I look forward to visit the Al Amanah College again.
Yesterday I have attended the second meeting of The Australian Multicultural Council. I chair the Council, which is an advisory body to Government on multicultural policy and programmes.
Multicultural policy: The Council discussed and consolidated their advice to Government on strategic policy issues relating to social harmony and community cohesion, in particular the need to continue to emphasise the positive social and economic outcomes arising from a multicultural Australia.
The Council discussed the Multicultural Access and Equity Policy: Respecting diversity. Improving responsiveness (2013) and noted the Council’s new oversight for this policy.
Interfaith: Professor Emeritus Gary Bouma AM led a discussion on the religious diversity of Australia’s population, noting that religious diversity has increased since the 1980s both between and within religious groups, and in the proportion who report having no religion. Professor Bouma concluded that increased religious diversity makes interfaith dialogue harder but more important. The Council considered their role of strengthening interfaith dialogue and opportunities to do so in contemporary Australia.
Productive Diversity: The Council noted that productive diversity recognises the importance of working together with Australia’s diverse communities in developing international business relationships. The Council discussed barriers to employment participation as an important factor in enhancing productive diversity. The Council also noted that qualification deficits (including English proficiency), skills recognition, local knowledge and social factors were important in reducing employment barriers.
It was a pleasure to address the Australia Press Council (APC) media conference on multiculturalism in the Australian media. This important event was organised jointly by Professor David Weisbrot, Chair, APC and by the leaders of Chinese community. Other speakers included The Hon. Helen Sham-Ho and Dr Geoffrey Lee Member for Parramatta and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs. The function was held at the Marigold Restaurant, in Chinatown.
For more information see the online report in Chinese language from Sing Tao newspaper: ?http://admin.wechat.com/s?biz=MzA3NDM1MDIwMw==&mid=
and from Sydney Today newspaper
President of Australian Council for Human Rights Education: You Will Win
To date, over 103,000 individuals have filed criminal complaints with the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Supreme People’s Court of China, charging Jiang with unlawful imprisonment, depriving citizens of their constitutional right to freedom of belief, abuse of power, and many other crimes.
Dr. Sev Ozdowski OAM (Order of Australia Medal) was the Australian Human Rights Commissioner from 2000 to 2005. He currently serves as president of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education.
Dr. Sev Ozdowski OAM, President of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education
Dr. Ozdowski was interviewed in Sydney about the criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin being filed by Chinese Falun Gong practitioners around the world. Given that China is one of a few countries in the world still ruled by communism, and where there is no rule of law, he applauded practitioners’ use of the country’s legal system to bring Jiang Zemin to justice.
“When you look back (in history), people win against oppression, and you will win,” he said. “Just do what you do, stay strong and continue to lodge complaints; continue demanding more human rights for yourselves!”
Dr. Ozdowski believes that the wave of criminal complaints filed against Jiang Zemin can help people in China to gain confidence in the legal system.
“Across a lot of our planet we still have got the communist party in charge; we still do not have the rule of Law,” he added. “What’s happening [with the criminal complaints] is good! It’s building people’s confidence in the legal system, it’s allowing them to say what they think, but it’s far from enough. We need to go much further.” Dr. Ozdowski believes that Jiang Zemin has committed crimes against humanity, and “to him due process of the criminal law should apply.”
Dr. Ozdowski also commended Australian television station SBS TV for airing “Human Harvest” on its Dateline program. This award-winning documentary exposes the Chinese regime’s harvesting organs of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience.
“It is necessary to publicly expose the crime of organ harvesting in China in order to stop it,” said Ozdowski.
In a letter of support to a rally condemning forced organ harvesting that was held in April in Sydney, Dr. Ozdowski wrote: “The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, which started in 1999, has all the hallmarks of genocide. It was well documented in a report by David Kilgour, former Canadian MP and Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific, and human rights lawyer David Matas that Falun Gong practitioners are killed so their corneas, hearts and lungs, livers, and kidneys could be stolen for sale to commercial customers.”