A private members' Bill recommending that the age of criminal responsibility be increased from 10 to 14 has been rejected by a parliamentary committee.
This Friday is International Human Rights Day, marking the culmination of Human Rights Week in Queensland. This article joins other QLS Proctor features in marking this important event.
Employment law and human rights experts Kristin Ramsey and Dan Rogers provide a legal context for the rapidly evolving issues springing from the mandatory vaccination regime.
Nearly one year into the Human Rights Act 2019 and early signs are promising that human rights are having a practical and meaningful impact on the development of new laws, public sector decision making and the decisions of Queensland Court and Tribunals.
Under the Human Rights Act, public entities must act or make a decision in a way that is compatible with human rights and give proper consideration to relevant human rights when making decisions.
The community, including community organisations, have a central role to play in developing a human rights culture in Queensland. Many community organisations in Queensland are considered to be public entities and must act compliantly with the Human Rights Act 2019.
COVID-19 introduced a plethora of conundrums when it came to keeping the community safe–with these issues further complicated when it came to the prisons during the pandemic.
Natural and other disasters bring turmoil to our lives–they bring risk to personal and family safety, disruption to our daily routines, property loss and the inevitable long road to recovery. Disasters also bring the likelihood of derogation of human rights principles by Government. Sitting alongside necessary limitations is the spectre of unnecessary overreach by Government, whereby our guaranteed rights and standards can be stripped away. There one day, gone the next.
The use of restrictive practices in Australia is often hidden, but they are applied routinely in many settings. It is critical that restrictive practices are applied legally, their use is governed by established principles, and is closely regulated to protect the rights, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people who are subject to these practices.