Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Annual Report 2011
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8.5mm 8.5mm 113mm 45mm 8.5mm 17mm 8.5mm 8.5mm Further information 12.75mm Law Faculty of Law Building 12, Clayton Campus 8.5mm Monash University, VIC 3800 Telephone: +61 3 9905 3327 Fax: +61 3 9905 5305 Castan Centre For Email: [email protected] Human Rights Law facebook.com/TheCastanCentre 8.5mm twitter.com/CastanCentre 4.2mm Annual Report 2011 www.law.monash.edwww.law.monash.edu/castancentreu 8.5mm Australia ■ Malaysia ■ South Africa ■ Italy ■ India www.law.monash.edu/castancetre 8.5mm 8.5mm 8.5mm 113mm Castan Centre For Human Rights Law Annual Report 2011 About the Castan Centre About Ron Castan AM QC Since Michael Kirby AC CMG officially opened the Castan Centre Ron Castan was a passionate advocate for the recognition and for Human Rights Law in October 2000, our dedicated staff has protection of human rights and a distinguished member of the strived to create a stronger culture of human rights in Australia. We Victorian Bar. He is best remembered for his role as lead counsel on at the Castan Centre believe that human rights must be respected the landmark Mabo case, which recognised native title over land. and protected, allowing people to pursue their lives in freedom and Ron toiled on the case for over 10 years and, according to Greg with dignity. In our pursuit of a stronger human rights culture for McIntyre, a lawyer who worked with Ron on the matter, he ‘effec- Australia, we work in seven broad areas: tively under-wrote the whole claim’. Public education, including numerous public lectures, Prior to the Mabo case, Ron was involved in many landmark roundtables, conferences and workshops featuring prominent Indigenous and Constitutional rights cases, and helped found the Australian and international human rights figures, and an increasing the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. His commitment to human social media presence. rights extended beyond Indigenous issues. He was a member of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission and President of the Policy, through submissions to parliaments, direct representations Victorian Council for Civil Liberties (now Liberty Victoria). Ron led to governments and contributions to public debates on important the campaign against the Australia Card in the 1980s and was a issues. key player in negotiations over the Wik native title legislation in the 1990s. He died in 1999. Student programs aimed at tertiary and secondary students, including internship programs, mooting and essay competitions, ‘There was a sort of a ruthlessness in Ron Castan. A ruthlessness and careers seminars. on behalf of justice.’ Indigenous programs, especially the Aurora Project’s native title Thomas Kenneally AO capacity building program. Teaching, through the oldest human rights law masters degree in Australia, as well as a thriving undergraduate human rights program. Research leading to the publication of monographs, textbooks, handbooks and practical guides on a variety of human rights issues. Human rights training and consultancies aimed at educating Australian and international government officials about human rights. Ron Castan The Castan Centre is unique in that it blends the intellectual rigour of human rights law and brings human rights to life in practical ways. As a place of learning and action, I have had a long and warm association with the Centre. - Jose Ramos Horta, President of Timor Leste The Castan Centre is a jewel in the crown of Australian law - The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG, former High Court judge 2011 In Review by Prof. Sarah Joseph, Castan Centre Director Monash University seeks to improve the human condition by On the financial front, the Centre remains well-positioned, however advancing knowledge and fostering creativity. It does so through we aim to continue increasing our income from donations and research and education and a commitment to social justice, broadening our consultancy work. In 2011, the Centre received human rights and a sustainable environment. 16.5% of its revenue from Monash University, so strong external - Monash University Statement of Purpose revenue streams are vital to the Centre’s long-term health. To assist with this task, as well as community engagement and other As a university-based research Centre devoted to creating a matters, the Centre resolved to constitute an Advisory Board stronger culture of human rights, the Castan Centre has long been in 2012. We hope that the Board, which will be constituted of known for its world-renowned expertise in the field. This expertise community members from a variety of fields, will further enhance can be seen in the Monash Law Faculty’s vibrant undergraduate our operations into the future. and postgraduate teaching programs and the wealth of monographs, journal articles, handbooks and other publications In all, 2011 was another successful year for the Centre, and we look penned annually by our academics. In addition to this scholarly forward to further strengthening our policy work and consolidating work, the Castan Centre provides the opportunity for Monash Law our other core areas in 2012. academics to expand their reach beyond the academy and out into the community. In 2011, more than ever before, we focused on expanding our policy work to ensure that we have a vibrant and sustainable public policy program aimed at informing government and the general public on important human rights issues. With this in mind, we created the Accountability Project, and welcomed our first Manager of that Project, Adam Fletcher, who had most recently worked at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. This increased focus on policy helped us to dramatically increase the Centre’s outputs, particularly in the area of submissions to parliamentary inquiries, which increased from nine in 2010 to 24 in 2011. The Centre also provided advice to the Commonwealth Government in the areas of human trafficking, Indigenous child welfare and human rights in closed environments, and commenced another project to provide advice on the use of alternative sentencing regimes in Australia. Alongside its government work, the Centre’s media work doubled and its social media platforms also experienced considerable growth, thereby increasing the reach of the Centre’s policy work. Our public education program was once again very busy, including events featuring two UN experts, a world-renowned expert on international criminal law, three Indonesian academics specialising in issues of race and religion, and a campaigner for Western Saharans’ right of self-determination. Once again, most of our events were free and many involved us working closely with fellow organisations in the human rights field, including the Human Rights Law Centre, the Red Cross, Amnesty and GetUp!, as well as Monash University’s Global Terrorism Research Centre and its Professor Sarah School of Political and Social Inquiry. In addition, our conference Joseph with again sold out a month in advance and was a stimulating and Aicha Dahane thought-provoking day. Our other vital area of work is student programs, which are very important and are based on giving students access to opportunities to further their interest in human rights. In 2011, a record ten Global Interns were sent to some of the world’s leading human rights organisations, with each receiving generous stipends so as to open the opportunity to as many people as possible. The Centre continued to also offer in-house internships, native title internships, a vibrant state-wide moot competition, the annual secondary schools essay competition, and a careers seminar, this year on international humanitarian law. • Dr Benjamin MacQueen, Deputy Director of the Global Castan Centre Programs Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University. 1. Public Education • Lecture – Professor William A. Schabas, Director Irish Centre Public education is one of the cornerstones of the Castan Centre’s for Human Rights and Chair in Human Rights Law, National work and we endeavour to reach the widest possible audience. To University of Ireland, Galway (a Holding Redlich Distinguished help us realise this goal, we have ensured that most of our public Visiting Fellow), ‘Victor’s Justice: Selecting the Targets of events are free-of-charge and tickets to our annual conference as International Tribunals’, 1 June 2011 cheap as possible. By the end of 2011, the Centre had hosted • Lecture – Dr Angela Ward of the Bar Council, Law Library of 130 conferences, public lectures, roundtables and careers seminars Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, ‘The Victorian Charter of Fundamental since its establishment in 2000. Rights: a case of inappropriate transplants?’, co-hosted with Human Rights Law Centre, 18 August 2011 Public Lectures Our 2011 events featured a broad range of topics and speakers, • Panel forum – ‘Religion and Society in Indonesia after the headlined by two United Nations experts and a legal advisor to a Cikeusik Murders’, co-hosted with Monash School of Political third expert. We also showcased a Western Saharan activist as and Social Inquiry, 29 August 2011. Panelists: well as local activists from Amnesty and GetUp!, editors of online • Professor Dr Dadang Kahmad, Muhammadiyah Central and print publications The Drum and Overland, four international Executive; Director of Post-Graduate Studies, Islamic academics, and eight local academics, including six from Monash State University, Bandung; former West Java chair of Inter- University. Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) • Professor Dr Asep Saepul Muhtadi, Professor and former Event topics ranged from asylum seekers, human trafficking and dean in the Faculty of Predication (dakwah) and the situation in Libya to social media, foreign debt and international Communications, Islamic State University, Bandung; criminal law. Adviser to West Java Provincial Government on Special thanks goes to Holding Redlich, whose Distinguished social inclusion Visiting Fellow program supported the visit of Professor William • Mr Hendar Riyadi, Lecturer, State Islamic University, Schabas, and Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King and Wood Bandung; Member of Muhammadiyah Young Intellectuals Mallesons), which again supported the Annual Lecture.