The Conference
'Be part of the future'
Australia remains the only Western democracy without a national human rights framework.
"Australia has entered a new political era and, while guarded optimism is appropriate, we are emerging from more than a decade of fear, suppression of debate and destruction of civil society. This conference will construct a framework for moving forward as a society and call on political commitment."- Professor Andrew Jakubowicz, conference convenor.
The conference organisers see the critical importance of understanding the many ways in which human rights are intertwined with social and political wellbeing. Many groups and individuals are directly involved, and moving for change. The 4Rs international conference at University of Technology Sydney, 30 Sept – 3 Oct 2008, will draw on the expertise and thinking of more than 100 speakers and many delegates from across Australia and overseas to explore opportunities for building a more inclusive and just society. The four themes of the conference traverse human rights, Indigenous reconciliation, inter-cultural relations and citizenship in a globalising world.
The themes explore opportunities for building a more inclusive and just society, recognising the value of cultural citizenship and the role of the arts in building creative cities, in Indigenous reconciliation, and a charter of human rights for Australia.
“This is a conference for scholars and activists, administrators and policy developers, artists and writers, community leaders and media practitioners, educators and students", says Professor Jakubowicz . “It’s about connections – exploring how key dimensions of Australian life in a globalised world intersect and interact with each other. Its culturally diverse society – Indigenous people, early settlers and their descendants, and recent immigrants and refugees – tests both how to mobilise the qualities of this diversity to improve the well being of the whole society, and how to ensure that social inclusion can be properly extended to the full range of that diversity.
“The conference will bring both a public and scholarly role to advance debate and research on the interrelated issues of human rights, Indigenous reconciliation, citizenship and inter-communal relations. It’s a timely endeavour to assist people from a diverse spectrum, to open a window of dialogue, and decide how to achieve a fair and just society." - Maqsood Alshams, conference secretary.
Page updated 10 June 2008
