Human Rights

3 November 2017

It’s the bad idea that just won’t die. Even a century after the Russian Revolution, many including local activists are celebrating the birth of a system that murdered tens of millions in the name of equality Next week marks 100 years since one of the most consequential events of the 20th century: the Russian Revolution. The takeover of the Russian

18 June 2017

The ABC and the Australian Human Rights Commission have teamed up with far-left student activists for a blatant propaganda campaign about campus sexual assault and harassment. Tomorrow the ABC is broadcasting a “documentary” called The Hunting Ground which, the ABC website says, “takes audiences to the heart of a shocking epidemic of violence and institutional cover-ups across college campuses in

3 June 2017

The Human Rights Commission’s selective agenda does not include the protection of fundamental human rights like freedom of speech. For that reason alone, it must be abolished. But while the Commission does exist, it is entirely reasonable to expect that a Coalition government should appoint to the Commission individuals who do believe in individual liberties. With the government considering who

2 March 2017

It is disappointing that the parliamentary committee charged with looking into one of Australia’s most insidious anti-free speech laws has failed to recommend its repeal. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights tabled its final report on Tuesday following its inquiry into freedom of speech in Australia. Specifically, the committee was asked to assess the operation of section 18C of

1 February 2017

The IPA’s Dr Chris Berg and Simon Breheny presented the case for 18C repeal to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. The IPA was live at the hearing, here are some of the highlights.   Full coverage the IPA’s presentation to the Joint Committee can be found here: 

31 January 2017

New opinion poll research shows that 95% of Australians think free speech is important to them with over 57% saying it is “very important”. “Much to the surprise of some members of the media and the political class, free speech matters,” said Simon Breheny, Director of Policy at the Institute of Public Affairs. “When 95% of respondents agree that an

13 December 2016

Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs is calling for the full repeal of section 18C as the only adequate protection for freedom of speech, in a comprehensive submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into freedom of speech in Australia released today. “Section 18C is a significant and dangerous restriction on the human right

9 December 2016

Below is an excerpt from the foreword of this report by John Roskam. In 1943, in the midst of the Second World War – a war fought to defend human freedom – the Institute of Public Affairs was founded. Enshrined in the Constitution of the Institute of Public Affairs is the objective to ‘further the individual, social, political and economic

10 November 2016

New Galaxy Research polling commissioned by the Institute of Public Affairs has found that 64 per cent of Australians oppose a newspaper cartoonist being investigated by the Australian Human Rights Commission, and 45 per cent of Australians support change to the Racial Discrimination Act so that it is no longer unlawful to “offend” or “insult” Executive Director of the Institute

4 November 2016

“The Turnbull government cannot stick its head in the sand any longer on section 18C: the law must be repealed,” said John Roskam, Executive Director at free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. “The proof that the human rights regime is damaged beyond repair is now plain for all to see,” said Mr Roskam. “The federal government must