ALHR Newsletter

ALHR Newsletters → 2011 → March → 07

ALHR - March 2011 - Newsletter

07/03/2011

ALHR Queensland welcomes you to March with some exciting opportunities in the area of human rights.

There are a few upcoming events this month that we highly recommend to you. ALHR is working in collaboration with AACP again - after our successful partnership in organising the World End Capital Punishment Day Dinner last year - to bring you a film fundraiser on 22 March.

ALHR is also holding its Annual General Meeting in Queensland this month, on 28 March 2011. Following this, our national planning day will take place in Melbourne, on 30 April 2011.

With respect to our work here in Queensland, ALHR is always looking for dedicated members to participate in submission writing. If you are interested in working with us on a submission, please contact us at [email protected]. We are not writing any submissions currently. However, if there is a consultation, a bill or a matter that you wish to write a submission on which also falls within our mandate, please let us know and we will make every effort to prepare a submission with you.

Your Queensland Team

Event - AACP & ALHR Film Fundraiser

We invite you to join us at a fundraising screening of the film Conviction, starring Hillary Swank. The fundraiser will be held on Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at the Palace Barrack Theatre, 61 Petrie Tce, Brisbane. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Stephen Keim SC, President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights.

You can purchase tickets from http://www.stickytickets.com.au/5207. Please RSVP by 10 March 2011.

Please be there by 6.15 for a 6.30pm start. Parking is available onsite at the Barracks for $6. If you have any questions about the event, please direct them to Sherida on 0466 211 588 or [email protected].

This is a wonderful event to begin the year with a focus on human rights, and we hope to see you there to help share that sentiment.

Event Reminder - Human Rights in Africa - A Judge's Perspective - Tonight

A reminder for those that are attending the Human Rights in Africa event tonight:

Time: 5:30pm

Venue: The Banco Court, Level 2, The Law Courts Complex, 304 George Street, Brisbane

Description: Justice Dow will meet with attendees after the lecture over refreshments.

In 1998, Justice Unity Dow was the first female justice to be appointed to the High Court of Botswana. Throughout her distinguished career, Justice Dow has advocated for the rights of women and Indigenous groups. Most noteworthy was her advocacy in the High Court case The Attorney General v Unity Dow, where she successfully challenged the constitutionality of the Citizenship Act. The effect of this landmark case was to extend constitutional protections against discrimination to women, and enable land rights to pass down through the maternal line. Justice Dow?s advocacy was also responsible for Botswana courts recognising the defence of battered women syndrome in criminal cases concerning domestic violence victims. After retiring from the High Court in 2009, Justice Dow opened a Botswana law firm. She is an Executive Committee member of the International Commission of Jurists and a member of International Women ? s Rights Watch. In February 2010, Justice Dow was sworn in as Justice of the Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute Resolution Court of Kenya. In July 2010, she was awarded the French Medal of the Legion de Honneur de France in recognition of her human rights activities.

Flyer: http://alhr.asn.au/getfile.php?id=158

Event - ALHR AGM

ALHR will be holding its national AGM on Monday, 28 March 2011.

All members and interested parties are invited to attend in person (to be decided and confirmed shortly) or by dial in. An official notice will be sent on 14 March 2011. As part of this year?s AGM we will be welcoming and officiating as part of our national committee our two new Northern Territory Co-Convenors, Adrienne Walters and Claire Henderson. More information will follow shortly.

Event - ALHR Planning Day

The 2011 national committee planning meeting will be hosted by the Victorian Co-Convenors, Mandy Lister and Lily Tsen in Melbourne on Saturday, 30 April 2011. As part of the event there will be an informal meet and greet for all new members to meet the national committee and tell us what you want from ALHR in 2011. Persons interested in learning more about ALHR are also welcome. More information on this event will be sent to you later. In the meantime, we welcome your thoughts and preferences regarding the most suitable time, venue and format (brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks, just drinks?).

Event - Scrutiny of Legislation Committee Public forum: Forms authorised by legislation

The Chair and members of the Queensland Parliament's Scrutiny of Legislation Committee invite the people of Queensland and representatives of organisations to participate in a public forum about statutory requirements as to government forms in Queensland. Part 8 of the Statutory Instruments Act deals with forms approved or made available administratively under an Act or regulation. It imposes standard requirements to ensure access to forms by people who need or wish to use them. The committee is reviewing the practical operation and continuing effectiveness of part 8. It has released an issues paper and tabled in the Parliament submissions received to date (both are available under Inquiries at: www.parliament.qld.gov.au/SLC).

On Monday, 21 March 2011, the committee will convene a public forum to hear about and discuss matters relevant to its review.

Your attendance and participation would be very welcome.

Details are:

10.00am Morning tea available, level 5 colonnade

10.30am Public forum, Undumbi Room

11.45am

Venue: Parliament House, George Street, Brisbane (please enter via Alice Street entrance; limited carparking may be arranged, with notice, for participants with a genuine need)

To register your interest in attending the public forum, please contact the committees secretariat (contact details in the column to the left).

Registrations are invited by Thursday, 17 March 2011.

Event - QCCL - The State of Privacy in Queensland

The State of Privacy in Queensland The Queensland Council of Civil Liberties will be hosting an event for ?The State of Privacy in Queensland? on 15 March 2011 at Club Central (formerly the Public Service Club, 84 William Street, Brisbane). The event will commence at 6:30pm.

Speakers for the evening include:

- Linda Matthews, Qld Privacy Commissioner.

- Roger Clarke, Chair, Australian Privacy

Foundation Linda Matthews is Queensland's first Privacy Commissioner. A strong advocate for protecting individuals' rights, she spent 14 years as Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in South Australia. Roger Clarke has been on the Board of the Australian Privacy Foundation since 1987 and its Chair since 2006. He is a veteran of the IT industry, focused on eBusiness, information infrastructure, dataveillance and privacy.

The speakers will be addressing the current state of privacy protection in Queenslad and the future of privacy in general.

The cost to attend is: Non-QCCL members: $50 | QCCL members: $25 | unwaged: $10. Ticket price includes canapes and there will be a cash bar.

To RSVP, contact John Ransley at [email protected] or Michael Cope on 3223 5939.

For more information, see the event flyer: http://alhr.asn.au/getfile.php?id=161.