Tag: human rights commission

Israel

Acclaimed journalist charged with ‘anti-semitism’

Being Jewish 1) Isn’t a matter of Race, Color, or Ethnicity 2) Being Jewish is adhering to a diverse set of non-uniform religious beliefs. 3) Zionism is a Political Ideology and isn’t applicable under Section 18C1 of the The Discrimination Act ( Old Dog Thought )

Mary Kostakidis, for years the face of television news in Australia as anchor of the SBS

The complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, from Alon Cassuto, the CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, highlights just two Kostakidis retweets from January this year, both of which contain a video of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in which he allegedly called for the ethnic cleansing of Israel.

One of the retweets is from independent British journalist Richie Medhurst, who was arrested at Heathrow airport and held for nearly 24 hours under the UK Terrorism Act this month. Medhurst is one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s war on Gaza. The other tweet is from a user named Censored Men.

Cassuto wants Kostakidis to apologise, remove the allegedly offensive materials from her X account; promise not to post similar tweets in future and pay his legal costs.

The complaint was levelled under Section 18C(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act, which says:

“it is unlawful for a person to do an act, otherwise than in private, if:

 (a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and

 (b) the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of some or all of the people in the group.”

Acclaimed journalist charged with ‘anti-semitism’

Additional Cuts, Revenge in Politics

This week the Australian Government announced it will slash the budget of the Australian Human Rights Commission. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the cuts are a politically motivated response to criticism.

Slashing funding for human rights watchdog is dangerous for human rights and democracy

15 December 2014

Today’s announcement that the Australian Government will slash the Australian Human Rights Commission’s funding by around 30% over the next three years has been denounced by the Human Rights Law Centre.

“These cuts will significantly weaken the Commission and reduce the government’s accountability on human rights at a time when rights are being severely threatened, in particular by harsh migration and counter-terror laws,” said Human Rights Law Centre Executive Director, Hugh de Kretser.

The cuts follow the Commission’s inquiry this year into children in immigration detention. The Commission’s inquiry report, which is with the Attorney-General and is yet to be released, is likely to be highly critical of government asylum seeker policy.

“It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the cuts are a politically motivated response to the children in immigration detention inquiry,” said Mr de Kretser.

The cuts also follow damaging funding cuts and restrictions imposed earlier this year on non-government organisations that undertake advocacy such as community legal centres, Indigenous legal services and the Refugee Council of Australia.

“This is a government that is responding to criticism by cutting funding, restricting advocacy and deliberately pressuring organisations that criticise it,” said Mr de Kretser. “These actions are dangerous for human rights and for Australia’s democracy.”

The Commission receives around 20,000 inquiries each year as well as over 2,000 discrimination and human rights complaints. It undertakes public education and conducts major inquiries into human rights issues of national significance, such as its inquiry into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force and its Stolen Generations inquiry that led to the national apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples in 2008.

The significant cuts announced today are in addition to funding cuts to the Commission already announced in this year’s budget.