Holmesglen welcomes Amnesty International

Holmesglen welcomed noted barrister Julian Burnside for the latest Amnesty International Human Rights Conference on October 19.

The event, held at the Institute’s city campus in Southbank, and organised by community services students, saw Holmesglen continue its commitment to observing and developing key human rights discussions.

Mr Burnside was joined by fellow guests Abdi Aden, YGender president Kochava Lilit and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services senior case manager Alistair McKeich.

“A positive about the conference was meeting up with well-known guest speakers like barrister Julian Burnside and refugee speaker Abdi Aden, who are both well-known in the community. The day was an amazing initial experience in the community services sector and has inspired us to do more,” said student Windy Yabaki.

The day comprised three sessions, which included the key note speeches, a Q&A discussion and various workshops. The latter workshops explored issues relating to refugees and child labour.

“It was a great learning experience to expand on [our] knowledge on human rights, while working and communicating with people in the sector,” said fellow student Angelique Anagnostopoulos.

The latest conference added to a recent calendar of events organised by the community services class. An indigenous justice conference was held at the city campus earlier this year, while Mr Burnside was also in attendance at a previously-run human rights conference at Moorabbin.