This morning I was a guest on Wendy Harmer’s ABC Radio Sydney’s morning show to talk about the next week’s 2nd Advancing Community Cohesion Conference hosted by the Western Sydney University on 20 – 22 November 2017. Wendy’s show has an audience of over 300,000, so hopefully it will translate to additional conference registrations.
We discussed: How do we unify Australia? For the interview see: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/programs/mornings/mornings/9136454
I am proud to invite you to a national forum to explore Australian answers to global and local challenges to community cohesion.
In July 2015, Western Sydney University hosted the 1st National Advancing Community Cohesion Conference – Towards a National
Compact. An indication of its success was the request from many of the 250 or so attendees for a follow up conference.
Inspired by the encouragement, and committed to inclusive, thriving communities, Western Sydney University is proud to announce the 2nd National Advancing Community Cohesion
Conference – Today’s Challenges and Solutions. The event will be held from 20 to 22 November 2017 at our Parramatta South Campus.
The Conference program is available here.
On Tuesday 24 October 2017 I participated as a speaker at the Annual Diversity Debate hosted by the Diversity Council Australia (DCA) and moderated by Tony Jones, one of ABC’s most respected
journalists at Dolton House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont.
This year the question was asked: Does a focus on identity help or hinder diversity and inclusion in the workplace? I was on the negative team together with Prof Peter van Onslen, notable political commentator and political journalist for the Australian and Sky News and with Ms Libby Lyons, head of Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
DCA is the independent, not-for- profit workplace diversity advisor to business in Australia. They provide high level advice and strategy to over 400 member organisations across the private and public sectors.As the debate is DCA’s major fundraising event of the year I am pleased to report that the event was NCA best yet, with a record crowd of 462 guests enjoying the thought provoking conversation as well as great food and wine, all in a fabulous setting.
The discussion shed valuable light on the positives and negatives of a focus on identity and provides employers with food for thought when it comes to their own Diversity and Inclusion programs.
Event partner Bloomberg have shared with us the exciting news that #DCAdebate ranked as the top trending topic on social media in Australia as of 7:30pm on 24 October and remained in #2 rank thereafter until 11:30pm, which was just an incredible outcome.
You can view photographs of the event on our DCA Debate photo album on Facebook and you can read our eNews – feel free to share both. A highlights video of the Debate will be uploaded to the DCA website in the next week or so, and media coverage of the event and other DCA activities can be found in the News section of our website.
I have attended the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) 2017 National Biennial Conference that was held in Darwin on the 8-10 October 2017 at the Darwin Convention and delivered a paper titled: Importance of Heritage Languages to Australia’s Social and Economic Future.
The paper could be accessed here 2017-10-20 HERITAGE LANGUAGES – speech for FECCA
Australia expects to be elected uncontested to the powerful United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday in New York . Australia was competing for one of two ‘Western Europe and others’ group seats against Spain and France, but France’s withdrawal made Australia’s elevation almost certain.
Election is not a formality: a majority of votes cast is needed for election, and a country could be denied a spot if half of the member countries voting refuse to cast a vote for it. However, elections to the 47-member council will be almost entirely uncompetitive, except for seats among Asia-Pacific states, where six states are competing for four seats.
Australia has campaigned globally for its position on the Human Rights Council, arguing it will promote gender equality; good governance; freedom of expression; indigenous rights; and strong national human rights institutions. It has also said it will advocate for the global abolition of the death penalty. “Australia will bring a principled and pragmatic approach to our term on the Human Rights Council,” foreign minister Julie Bishop said, launching Australia’s bid.
Daniel Webb
My best congratulations go to Daniel Webb, Director of Legal Advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, for winning the inaugural Global Pluralism Award for his refugee rights work. It was awarded by the Canadian-based Global Centre for Pluralism. The citation reads:
“By protecting asylum seekers from horrendous detention and changing the public conversation about refugees from deterrence to opportunity, Daniel Webb is paving a way for other global leaders,” – Canada’s former Prime Minister and Chair of the Jury the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark.
This award is worthy recognition of Daniel’s work, the gravity of the cruelty he and his team are working to support clients facing deportation to offshore detention. He has travelled to Manus three times and works closely with the men detained there to amplify their voices. He has run High Court challenges against the secretive detention of people on the high seas and led our work on the #LetThemStay campaign, which prevented the deportation of more than 267 men, women and children to offshore processing centres.
You can read more about the Global Pluralism Award here.
It was an honor to associate myself with a group of 43 eminent Australians in signing up a statement calling on SBS to drop a commentary style which casts doubt on the Armenian genocide.
Experts’ statement on SBS and the Armenian genocide – June 2017
There is no doubt in my mind the mass murder of some between 1 and 1.5 million Armenians meets the definition of genocide contained in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948. Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group …”. Clearly Armenians were targeted by the Turkish authorities for destruction of their community because of their ethnic and religious heritage. For more detail see my speech delivered to the Armenian community: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/armenia-rwanda-genocide-20th-century-has-humanity-learnt-anything-dr-sev-ozdowski-oam
The statement was organized by Meher Grigorian, a director of the Australian Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and it challenges the SBS policy that refers to refer to the Armenian genocide as a “mass killing of Armenians considered by many to have been a genocide, which Turkey denies”. To date, the statement has received coverage from Honest History and The Australian Jewish News.
For SBS response see the statement made by SBS CEO Mr Michal at the hearings before Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDdfToue_AE&authuser=0
It is a pleasure to be associated with the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova and in particular with its Ph.D. programme that is run jointly with the Western Sydney University and a number of European universities. Recently a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Prof. Songcai Yang, Director of the Guangzhou University Institute of Human Rights and Prof. Marco Mascia, Director of the University of Padova Human Rights Centre. The ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ reinforces the partnership between the two Human Rights Centres in order to allow greater academic collaboration in the future.
Below there are some highlights of recent initiatives:
MA Degree Programme in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance
The Master’s degree course provides students with the knowledge and the competences required to protect and promote human rights in multi-level
governance contexts, locally to internationally. The application process for candidates with Italian qualifications is open until the 28th September 2017. New admission notice for candidates with a foreign qualification will be soon available (Pre-enrolment from 16th June to 14th July 2017).
Peace Human Rights Governance Academic Journal
PHRG is the new scientific journal of the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova. The first issue is now online. Original research articles submitted to PHRG from now up until 3rd September 2017 will be considered for the third issue of the Journal first volume (PHRG 1(3). The issue will be published in November 2017. Further updates from the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova could be found at Regional Archive ‘Pace Diritti Umani – Peace Human Rights’.
Register before July 15, 2017 to attend 8th International Human Rights Education Conference “Bridging our Diversities” to be held in Montreal, Canada on 30 November – 3 December and take advantage of our early bird fee, see: http://ichre2017.equitas.org/
There is also a limited number of places available at student and NGO fee.
See you at 8th IHREC in Montreal!
In 2018 The IHRE Conference will return to Sydney (where it has started) to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UN Universal Human Rights Declaration. Please reserve the time from 10 to13 December 2018.
Open Forum: Multicultural Australia
As the Federal Government introduces a strict new citizenship test, Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Senator Zed Seselja will address an upcoming Western Sydney Open Forum. Titled Multicultural Australia, the forum will discuss Australia’s continued evolution as the world’s most successful multicultural society.
The forum will take place on June 7 at 6pm at the Female Orphan School, Western Sydney University Parramatta South campus.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government released a new multicultural statement, focusing on the importance of being an integrated and united people, as well as the significance of shared values, national security and respect for citizenship.
In addition, the government has recently introduced a new citizenship test where applicants need to demonstrate a high level of English language proficiency.
Director of Equity and Diversity at Western Sydney University and Chair of the Multicultural Council, Dr Sev Ozdowski, says the event will be a good opportunity for the public to engage in dialogue with the government over these issues.
“Australia has flourished thanks for our cultural diversity, with our success built on the efforts and commitments of millions of people from different backgrounds,” says Dr Ozdowski.
“The government’s multicultural statement aims to recognize this, and strike a balance between the mutual rights and responsibilities of current and future citizens.”
“I look forward to hearing from Senator Zed Seselja about how he believes the government’s recent changes will help ensure Australia’s continued success.”
Multicultural Australia: United, Strong, Successful will take place on 7 June at 5:30pm, Parramatta South Campus, Female Orphan School, Building EZ.
