News
The title of John Curtin Distinguished Professor will be awarded to Professor Anna Haebich and the other three recipients at an official presentation on 28 February, 2012. This high honour is made in recognition of Professor Haebich’s ongoing contribution to the University as evidenced by her exceptional national and international reputation, academic achievements and record of public service. The title is awarded for a period of five years.
We welcome Dr Lynda Blanchard to the Centre for 2012. Lynda joins us as a Visiting Lecturer from the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney. She is former executive officer of the Sydney Peace Foundation, executive member of the National Committee on Human Rights Education, executive member of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (Australia), international member of TRANSCEND Peace and Development Network, and consultant to the Conflict Resolution Network. We are excited to have Lynda with us as she will be lecturing in our human rights postgraduate programs and continuing her research that centres on issues of cultural difference and social justice.
We also welcome Dr Lisa Hartley for Semester 1, 2012. Lisa has a PhD in social psychology and her research interests include refugee resettlement issues in Australia; prejudice towards marginalised social groups and interventions to reduce prejudice; and understanding the ways in which people can mobilise as members of groups to overcome disadvantage and injustice through activism and advocacy. She has worked with refugees in the community and continues her advocacy work with asylum seekers in immigration detention. Lisa is also on the management board of the Coalition for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) in Perth and is the Vice Chair of the advocacy organisation Asylum Seekers Christmas Island (ASCI).
In addition, we continue to have Gaylene Trethewey as Project Officer working with the Centre this semester. Gaylene is a Master of Human Rights graduate and as well as providing support for our online teaching, she is developing our student and community engagement programs.
We are very sad to say that after more than five years as the Chair of the Centre for Human Rights Education, Linda Briskman left in late January 2012 to take up the position of Professor of Human Rights at the Institute of Social Research, Swinburne University. We wish her all the very best back in Melbourne.
Over the past five and a half years, Linda has been extremely active in research, teaching, presenting at international and local conferences, and advocacy in the areas of refugee and Indigenous rights, citizenship and racism issues. All of her fine work has significantly contributed to raising the profile of human rights in Australia and beyond. Linda has written many scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and online opinion pieces during this time. She has also become a prominent public intellectual regarding the treatment of asylum seekers and Indigenous issues in Australia.
Through Linda’s leadership, the Centre for Human Rights Education tripled in size in both employees and postgraduate students. The Centre’s profile also broadened both locally and internationally. Linda will be greatly missed for her uncompromising passion for advocating for the human rights of all and for pushing the boundaries in education and research.
Linda will remain as part of the Centre as an Adjunct Professor and we all look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with her. Dr Caroline Fleay is currently Acting Director of the Centre.
If you would like to contact Linda at Swinburne, her new email address from 6 February 2012 is: lbriskman@swin.edu.au
Dr Miyume Tanji completed her Research Fellowship at the Centre in December 2011 and is now at the National Library of Australia as recipient of a Japan Study Grant. We are very happy to say that she continues to collaborate with Centre staff as an Adjunct Researcher.
Dr Karen Soldatic is in the United Kingdom for the first part of 2012, completing her awarded prestigious British Academy International Visiting Fellowship. She is working with Professor Carol Thomas and Dr Chris Grover at Lancaster University. Karen will be exploring the impact of the Cameron Government’s welfare reform on people with disabilities and will undertake extensive field work with Disabled People’s Organisations, delivering a number of public forums and developing a set of civil society working papers for local disability advocacy groups. Upon her return to Australia in mid 2012, further comparative research will occur.
Caroline Fleay and Linda Briskman released a report on the 17th of November 2011, to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship based on their visits to the Curtin Immigration Detention Centre in 2011. The Hidden Men report details a range of issues of concern that were evident during Caroline and Linda’s five visits to Curtin IDC. In particular, it highlights the extreme levels of despair among the men detained at the centre and calls for mandatory detention to be abolished and the immediate release of long-term detainees. Read the report here.
