"20 years after the Redfern Address, we have seen some progress in Australia's human rights agenda yet in other areas we have a lot of work to do before human rights are adequately addressed for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians," said Redfern Legal Centre CEO, Joanna Shulman.
The Government's decision to consolidate Commonwealth anti-discrimination law presents a significant opportunity to enhance Australia's anti-discrimination law to enshrine international human rights obligations into domestic law and promote a fair go for all.
However, there are many areas in which human rights are not being adequately protected.
On 14 November, the NSW State Coroner released her findings in the inquest into the death of Roberto Laudisio Curti, (who died within minutes of being tasered up to 14 times by police) and commented that the NSW Police Force exhibited "...an ungoverned pack mentality, like the schoolboys in 'Lord of the Flies'. Redfern Legal Centre is extremely concerned about the lack of independent investigation into police taser use.
Public housing tenants in NSW are living in sub-standard, often dangerous conditions. Redfern Legal Centre's tenancy service has assisted 165 public housing clients to seek repairs from Housing NSW since January 2012, including a tenant who had water running through his home for months resulting in lifting floorboards, wet, mouldy carpets and mould growth throughout the unit and a tenant whose ceiling collapsed and had to cook with an open umbrella when it rained and lived in fear of the ceiling falling on her while in the shower. Redfern Legal Centre calls on the NSW Government to ensure that public housing properties are kept safe and in a good state of repair.
Redfern Legal Centre specialises in domestic violence, housing and tenancy, credit, debt and consumer complaints, police and government accountability, employment and discrimination and human rights.
