Justice Einfeld, who retired from the Family Court in 2001, is an internationally respected and outspoken advocate for human rights and justice, UNICEF ambassador for children and an active campaigner for the rights of detained refugees in Australia. As well as serving on the Federal Court, he is a former president of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and was an Australian representative at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
Justice Einfeld will deliver his address as part of the opening plenary session of the conference, which is being held at the Cairns Hilton from 27 to 29 October. The conference is organised by the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA).
“We are delighted to have such a distinguished keynote speaker at our annual conference,” said NAPWA President David Menadue. “More than twenty years after the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in Australia, people with HIV still face widespread discrimination in accommodation, health services, insurance and many other areas.”
In 2002, researchers from La Trobe University reported in HIV Futures 3 that more than one in three people with HIV had experienced less favourable health treatment because of their HIV, and more than half said their HIV status had been disclosed without their permission.
“Discrimination, breaches of confidentiality and poverty. These are real issues facing HIV positive people in Australia today, and they are human rights issues,” said Menadue. “We hope that Justice Einfeld’s involvement in the NAPWA conference will draw attention to this.”
For more details contact:
- David Menadue — NAPWA President — 0412 753 338
MEDIA ADVISORY
Ninth National Conference of People Living With HIV/AIDS
Cairns Hilton, Wharf Street, Cairns QLD 4870
Mon 27 — Wed 29 October 2003
Hon. Justice Marcus Einfeld AO QC PhD will speak at the Opening Plenary Session on Tue 28 Oct, 9:00 am. As this is not a public event, pre-registration is required for media who wish to attend. The conference program also includes numerous workshops on HIV/AIDS, plenary sessions, and an exhibition of photography, visual art and sculpture.
Program details: www.napwa.org.au
For media access to the Conference contact: Paul Kidd (paul@napwa.org.au) 0438 203 754