International Day of Education: To Invest in People – Prioritise Education

This week marks the beginning of the school year for many Queensland children, with other states to follow next week. Some children will be stepping into the classroom for their very first day of school, while others are preparing for their final year of secondary education. While I am glad that both my children received …

Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All

On this day in 1948, almost 75 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was first proclaimed. Prompted by the atrocities of World War Two, the UDHR was a significant undertaking for an international community that had never agreed on anything before, let alone a set of common values that established a benchmark …

Literacy is a Human Right

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Kofi Annan Do you remember learning to read? I don’t remember the actual specifics …

No Friend but the Mountains – Behrouz Boochani

In 2013, Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani was illegally detained on Manus Island…This book is the result. Laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone and translated from the Farsi. It is a voice of witness, an act of survival. A lyric first-hand account. A cry of resistance. A vivid portrait through five years of incarceration and …

Living with Dignity

Today, December 3rd, is the International Day of People with Disability. It is an annual event designed to “increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.” Each year there is a specific theme, and this year, quite appropriately, it is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible …

Caring During Covid 19

Covid 19 has scored a sizeable hit on life as we once knew it. Businesses and services were closed. Many people lost their jobs. Travellers were stranded overseas and grocery shopping became the social highlight of the week. As schools closed and moved to online learning, many parents struggled to balance working from home with …