Australia and the Birth of the International Bill of Human Rights, 1946-1966

Australia and the Birth of the International Bill of Human Rights, 1946-1966
Author: Annemarie Devereux
Publisher: Federation Press
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781862875623

Australia and the Birth of the International Bill of Human Rights provides the first in depth examination of Australia's first reactions to 'international human rights' during the negotiations for the International Bill of Rights: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ICCPR and ICESCR. It follows Australian policy from 1946, the first year in which the United Nations began discussing a Bill of Rights until 1966 when the twin Covenants were finalized. The book looks at what successive Australian Governments understood by 'human rights' and how they responded to discussion of sensitive domestic topics such as: immigration policies self-determination for inhabitants of trust territories equal pay for men and women and balancing human rights and national security. As well as considering Australian policies towards substantive rights, the book looks at Australian policies towards international schemes for protecting rights including early proposals for an International Court of Human Rights and its later support for more modest, technical expertise based assistance for States, debates often taking place against the background of highly politicised issues such as the Cold War and the fight against apartheid. In looking at this 20 year period, the book demonstrates the way in which Australian policy changed substantially over time: as between Labor and Liberal administrations, between Ministers and bureaucrats and as between decision makers with markedly distinct visions of the ideal relationship between citizens and a State, and the individual State and the international community. In highlighting the diversity of views about human rights, this book thus challenges the notion that Australia has historically supported a universally understood set of human rights norms and underlines the number of variables which may be affecting ongoing implementation of human rights standards.

Australia and Human Rights

Australia and Human Rights
Author: Caroline Fleay
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2020-05-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1527553337

The Howard government's term in office in Australia from 1996 to 2007 is often portrayed as one where Australia retreated from its international human rights obligations. Throughout this era a range of government policies attracted much criticism for downplaying or ignoring human rights. Less attention has been given to the human rights policies of previous Australian governments and the heritage they provided for the Howard government. Situating the policies of the Howard government within those of previous Australian governments provides a greater understanding of human rights in Australia. This book examines human rights policies in Australia in three key areas: human rights in Australia-China relations; responses to asylum seekers and refugees; and engagement with human rights at the United Nations. These areas highlight where the Howard government clearly deviated from some of the more positive human rights policies of its predecessors. The book also challenges the perception that Australia has a proud history of human rights policy by revealing where the Howard government continued or revived policies of earlier Australian governments that were not consistent with international human rights standards. Such an understanding of human rights in Australian policy is imperative for informed analysis and debate on current and future policy trends.

International Law

International Law
Author: Donald Rothwell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 919
Release: 2014
Genre: International law
ISBN: 1107691192

International Law: Cases and Materials with Australian Perspectives is the authoritative textbook for Australian international law students. Written by a team of experts, it examines how international law is developed, implemented and interpreted, and features comprehensive commentary throughout. All core areas of the law are covered, with chapters on human rights, law of the sea, international environmental law and enforcement of international law. Cases and treaties are dissected to highlight the key principles, rules and distinctive learning points. This new edition has been thoroughly updated in line with recent developments in the field and includes a new chapter on the use of force, as well as expanded content on the enforcement of international law, including sanctions, law enforcement against pirates and the 2011 Libyan conflict. International Law provides clear and rigorous analysis and is an indispensable resource for law students. Donald R. Rothwell is Professor of International Law at the ANU College of Law at the Australian National University. Stuart Kaye is Professor of Law and Director at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at the University of Woollongong. Afshin Akhtarkhavari is Associate Professor and Reader in Law at the Griffith Law School. Ruth Davis is Lecturer in Law in the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts at the University of Woollongong.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Author: William A. Schabas
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 4171
Release: 2013-04-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1139619624

A collection of United Nations documents associated with the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these volumes facilitate research into the scope of, meaning of and intent behind the instrument's provisions. It permits an examination of the various drafts of what became the thirty articles of the Declaration, including one of the earliest documents – a compilation of human rights provisions from national constitutions, organised thematically. The documents are organised chronologically and thorough thematic indexing facilitates research into the origins of specific rights and norms. It is also annotated in order to provide information relating to names, places, events and concepts that might have been familiar in the late 1940s but are today more obscure.

Refugee Journeys

Refugee Journeys
Author: Jordana Silverstein
Publisher: ANU Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2021-02-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1760464198

Refugee Journeys presents stories of how governments, the public and the media have responded to the arrival of people seeking asylum, and how these responses have impacted refugees and their lives. Mostly covering the period from 1970 to the present, the chapters provide readers with an understanding of the political, social and historical contexts that have brought us to the current day. This engaging collection of essays also considers possible ways to break existing policy deadlocks, encouraging readers to imagine a future where we carry vastly different ideas about refugees, government policies and national identities.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 21st Century

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the 21st Century
Author: Gordon Brown
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2016-04-18
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1783742216

The Global Citizenship Commission was convened, under the leadership of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the auspices of NYU’s Global Institute for Advanced Study, to re-examine the spirit and stirring words of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The result – this volume – offers a 21st-century commentary on the original document, furthering the work of human rights and illuminating the ideal of global citizenship. What does it mean for each of us to be members of a global community? Since 1948, the Declaration has stood as a beacon and a standard for a better world. Yet the work of making its ideals real is far from over. Hideous and systemic human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated at an alarming rate around the world. Too many people, particularly those in power, are hostile to human rights or indifferent to their claims. Meanwhile, our global interdependence deepens. Bringing together world leaders and thinkers in the fields of politics, ethics, and philosophy, the Commission set out to develop a common understanding of the meaning of global citizenship – one that arises from basic human rights and empowers every individual in the world. This landmark report affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seeks to renew the 1948 enterprise, and the very ideal of the human family, for our day and generation.

International Law

International Law
Author: Donald R Rothwell
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 876
Release: 2018-08-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108677215

Now in its third edition, International Law: Cases and Materials with Australian Perspectives remains an authoritative textbook on international law for Australian students. With a strong focus on Australian practice and interpretation, the text examines how international law is developed, implemented and interpreted within the international community and considers new and developing approaches within this field. This edition has been comprehensively updated to address recent developments in international law. The selection of cases and materials provides a thorough coverage of core areas and addresses a range of contemporary challenges, including climate change, human rights, nuclear proliferation and the South China Sea. A new chapter on international trade law reflects the growing importance of this body of law in Australian practice. Guiding commentary provides a rigorous analysis of key principles. Written by a team of experts with substantial experience in this field, International Law is an essential resource for students.

Amplifying that Still, Small Voice

Amplifying that Still, Small Voice
Author: Frank Brennan
Publisher: ATF Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2015-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1925232115

Frank Brennan has been a long time advocate for human rights and social justice in Australia. This collection of essays brings together some of his major addresses and writings on justice in the Catholic Church and in Australian society. Placing the individual's formed and informed conscience as the centre piece in any work for justice, he surveys recent developments in the Catholic Church including the handling of child sexual abuse claims and the uplifting effect of the papacy of Francis, the first Jesuit pope. He then applies Catholic social teaching and the jurisprudence of human rights to contested issues like the separation of powers and the right of religious freedom, and to the claims of diverse groups including Aborigines, asylum seekers, the dying, and same sex couples. At every step, he is there in the public square amplifying that still, small voice of conscience, especially the voice of those who are marginalised.

Making Minorities History

Making Minorities History
Author: Matthew James Frank
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199639442

Making Minorities History examines the various attempts made by European states over the course of the first half of the twentieth century, under the umbrella of international law and in the name of international peace and reconciliation, to rid the Continent of its ethnographic misfits and problem populations. It is principally a study of the concept of 'population transfer' - the idea that, in order to construct stable and homogeneous nation-states and a peaceful international order out of them, national minorities could be relocated en masse in an orderly way with minimal economic and political disruption as long as there was sufficient planning, bureaucratic oversight, and international support in place. Tracing the rise and fall of the concept from its emergence in the late 1890s through its 1940s zenith, and its geopolitical and historiographical afterlife during the Cold War, Making Minorities History explores the historical context and intellectual milieu in which population transfer developed from being initially regarded as a marginal idea propagated by a handful of political fantasists and extreme nationalists into an acceptable and a 'progressive' instrument of state policy, as amenable to bourgeois democracies and Nobel Peace Prize winners as it was to authoritarian regimes and fascist dictators. In addition to examining the planning and implementation of population transfers, and in particular the diplomatic negotiations surrounding them, Making Minorities History looks at a selection of different proposals for the resettlement of minorities that came from individuals, organizations, and states during this era of population transfer.