Justice and Equity Centre

We have some news! On Monday 1 July, we're changing our name to the Justice and Equity Centre. We're making this change to reflect our mission: to build a fairer, stronger society by challenging and changing laws and practices that cause disadvantage and inequality.

From next week you’ll find us here on Facebook as the Justice and Equity Centre.

Since 1982, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (known to many simply as ‘PIAC’) has been at the forefront of social justice. Although we are changing our name, we are not changing the work we do or how we do it.

We will continue to drive change across our five focus areas:
- Disability rights,
- Civil rights,
- First Nations justice,
- Homelessness and
- Energy and water justice.

We're proud to be building on PIAC’s legacy and pay tribute to the many people who have been part of its success: our clients, staff, directors, volunteers, secondees, pro bono and community partners, donors and supporters.

Read more about why we are making the change at our website: https://piac.asn.au/2024/06/23/changing-our-name-to-the-justice-and-equity-centre/

𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.

To keep up to date with our work and events, you can subscribe to our newsletter: https://piac.asn.au/ -2

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/public-interest-advocacy-centre-ltd/

Or follow us on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/PIACnews

Do you have questions about the upcoming Voice referendum? We can help you find the answers. PIAC is offering information sessions to help people understand the proposal for a First Nations Voice to parliament and the historic referendum to be held later this year.

Our one-hour session covers:

- The place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution, including the significance of the 1967 referendum.
- The momentum for constitutional recognition of First Nations Australians from 2007.
- The First Nations Dialogues and the Uluru Statement from the Heart, leading to the call for a First Nations Voice.
- The referendum proposal we will be asked to vote on.
- The practical implications of the Voice – how will it work and what will it do?
- Why PIAC supports the Voice.

Each session includes time for questions from participants and an opportunity for discussion.

If you would like to arrange a session for your organisation, workplace or community group, email [email protected].

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Social Justice Dinner. We appreciate the support we receive from our colleagues, friends and partners, which makes the night such a great success.

Here are some of the highlights from the night.

What a night! It was wonderful to be in a room filled with friends, colleagues and collaborators to celebrate another year of PIAC’s achievements at our Social Justice Dinner.

Thank you to our host Fran Kelly and guest speaker Dr Kimahli Powell. Their inspiring conversation reminded us why it is so important to work collectively for change. Like Kimahli, we’re energised by collaborating with people who share our vision for a fairer society and empowered by the determined and passionate advocates and clients we work with. We will share Fran and Kimahli’s full conversation with you soon.

Thank you also to Wendy Brooks, for her personal insights into why she supports PIAC’s work for social justice, and Yvonne Weldon AM, for a warm welcome to country and reminder that there remains much to do for First Nations justice.

And a huge thank you to everyone who came and supported our silent auction or gave a donation. All money raised allows us to continue our work tackling injustice.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution.

We say ‘yes’, because there is an injustice at the heart of our Constitution: its failure to recognise the first peoples of this land. It is in our power to change this.

In 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were asked how we could recognise them. The Referendum Council undertook the most comprehensive consultation on our Constitution ever conducted. And in an historic consensus, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people asked for a Voice.

Giving First Nations people a chance to be heard in decisions by government and the parliament is a fair, modest and practical proposal.

It is fair to recognise the first people of this country in our founding document.

It is modest to seek an advisory role that respects parliamentary supremacy. Just as the government gets expert advice from the Productivity Commission or the Auditor-General, the Voice will help to get better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It is practical to seek to have input into decisions of Parliament and the government. For too long governments have failed to listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We need to do things differently if we want things to change.

The work of the Indigenous Voice Co-design Process has produced a detailed proposal for how a Voice could be structured and function. It provides a roadmap to a practical and workable model for the Voice.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart invites us to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

We are proud to have accepted that invitation. We are proud to say ‘yes’ to the Voice.

https://piac.asn.au/2022/12/07/piac-says-yes-to-the-voice/

PIAC's work shows people are missing vital medical care because of overuse of handcuffing in Australian immigration detention.

Jonathan Hall-Spence, PIAC Senior Solicitor, told 2serfm why we're raising this with the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture ahead of a visit to Australia by committee members this month.

PIAC calls on UN Committee to investigate handcuffing in Australian immigration detention - 2SER The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) says a comprehensive review of handcuffing in Australia’s onshore immigration detention system is urgently needed. Asylum seekers are being handcuffed to go to medical appointments or to be transferred between facilities, without individualised and approp...

A win for accessible TV! PIAC supported disability advocate Lauren Henley to make a complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Australian Govt refused to mandate audio description on free-to-air TV, despite years of campaigning by Lauren, Blind Citizens Australia and other advocates.

The UN Committee found Australia has breached the rights of blind and vision impaired people. The Government now has 6 months to act.

Lauren was frustrated by a lack of audio descriptions on TV, so she took it to the United Nations A United Nations committee has found Australia breached an international human rights treaty by failing to provide audio descriptions on free-to-air television for the blind and vision impaired community. The finding comes after a seven year complaint process from a disability advocate.

Our Sri Lanka conflict map is supporting demands for truth, accountability and reparations for survivors of the Sri Lankan civil war.

There have been thousands of reports of war crimes and human rights violations committed by all sides during the conflict. Recent unrest in Sri Lanka reflects the continued lack of accountability at the highest levels of government.

PIAC Senior Legal Officer Nadeshda Jayakody explained to Breakfast how our conflict map will support the UN and international community in their accountability work.

PIAC on 2SER Breakfast - Sri Lanka conflict map - 2SER The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) re an independent, non-profit organisation that works with people and communities who are marginalised and facing disadvantage. PIAC has been working to highlight human rights violations in Sri Lanka for more than a decade. That work has culminated with the...

Is Australia is facing an escalating risk of power shortages? Two recent regulator reports predict supply may not meet demand under current settings and critics blame the shift to clean energy.

PIAC's Senior Energy Advisor Craig Memery explained whether we need to worry on 2SER Breakfast.

Craig Memery from PIAC - Energy Reliability - 2SER The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) are an are an independent, non-profit organisation that works with people and communities who are marginalised and facing disadvantage. According to recent media coverage, Australia is facing an escalating risk of power shortages. Some commentators are blam...