The new Katter’s Australian Party Senator Fraser Anning’s divisive comments made last night in his maiden speech were condemned by the Government, the Opposition and all fair-minded Australians.
The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs reaffirmed that Australia will always maintain a non-discriminatory immigration program.
For me, because of my cultural heritage, the use of the Nazi era phrase “the final solution” in the Senator’s statement was particularly offensive and hurtful.
Senator Anning was elected with just 19 primary votes; let’s hope that his statement has a similarly low level of public support across Australia.

Below is my small contribution to the discussion about political correctness in Australia. This interview was recorded for Today Tonight,  Channel 7 Adelaide.

See:  https://www.todaytonightadelaide.com.au/stories/pc-wars

The link to the podcast is below:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6423396948203618304/

This is to remind that the 9th International Conference on Human Rights Education Call for Papers will close on Monday 16 July.

See attached flyer

You are warmly invited to join the Western Sydney University Open Forum titled “The Struggle of Identity Politics in India” with Special Guest Speaker Professor Anwar Alam, Senior Fellow, Policy Perspectives Foundation, New Delhi.

See  2018-07-25-Identity-Politics-in-India-Open-Forum-Invitation.pdf

The Forum will be held on 25 July 2018 5:30pm for 6pm start at Female Orphan School, Parramatta South Campus, Building EZ, West Wing

This is a free event and open to the public.

The 9th International Conference on Human Rights Education will be held at Western Sydney University’s Parramatta South Campus on 26-29 Nov 2018. The call for papers will close 16 July. See www.ichre2018.com.au  #ichre2018

Checks and balances built into the legal system in Venezuela appear to have been eroded, leaving state security forces unaccountable for some 500 questionable killings, warns United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the report “attests to the need for political dialogue and a fully inclusive political solution” in the country, says deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

The Hon. Alan Tudge MP, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, has announced the appointments to the Australian Multicultural Council for 3-year term starting on 22 June 2018. The new Council is made up of five current and eight new members; I have been asked to continue as the Council’s Chair for another three years.

Australian Multicultural Council is a national body established to advise Federal government on a range of issues relating to multicultural policies and programs with special focus delivering cohesive and harmonious Australia with opportunities for all. For more about the council see: http://minister.homeaffairs.gov.au/alantudge/Pages/expanded-australian-multicultural-council.aspx

I am delighted to be able to continue my work with the government to advance programs and policies aimed at building strong, integrated, and cohesive communities. Our vibrant multicultural society is a result of the successful integration of migrants around shared values of respect, equality, and freedom. Integration ensures that newcomers can contribute to our economic prosperity and participate fully in our society.

My sincere thanks to a number of you who have written to congratulate me on my reappointment. In particular, I wish to thank you Ms Mary Patetsos, the Chairperson of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia for her warm congratulations on behalf of FECCA.

Read the recent global update on human rights by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to the 38th session of the Human Rights Council; see https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23206&LangID=E

In his opening remarks he reminded the Council about serious gaps in understanding human rights even amongst the UN officials. Many governments deny that human rights are universal and only sourced from a Western tradition. This is not further from the truth.

The international conferences on human rights education (ICHRE) work to address this lack of knowledge. They are a series of dialogues on human rights education as a means of promoting democracy, the rule of law, justice, and intercultural and social harmony. For more about past conferences see: www.westernsydney.edu.au/equity_diversity/equity_and_diversity/conferences.      

Join me at the 9th ICHRE to be held in Sydney, 26-29 November 2018. It will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the education-oriented Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and cover the range of human rights education issues such as national and international curricula, pedagogy and best practices.

For more information on the 9th ICHRE, including on registration and proposals for paper and workshop presentations, see www.ichre2018.com.au.