Background
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
On 10 December, United Nations Day for Human Rights, people around the world commemorate the day that the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. The UDHR sets out those rights and freedoms that many of us take for granted.
10 December is a day to raise public awareness and knowledge of why human rights matter, both among people who are lucky enough to enjoy their rights, and those who are not so lucky, who have little freedom and few rights. It’s a day to focus on core human values reflected in the UDHR: a commitment to inherent human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, fairness and universality.
It’s a day to consider what any one of us can do to defend our rights, and help others find and protect theirs.
Australia, like many other countries, has chosen to honour people who have made a special contribution to human rights.
The Northern Territory Human Rights Awards celebrates the achievements of those in the NT who have worked to promote human rights, and raises awareness of fundamental human rights.
About Tony Fitzgerald
Tony Fitzgerald was a passionate advocate for human rights. He was born in Sydney and moved to Melbourne at 16 years of age. He studied and then practiced law before coming to Darwin in 1978 to work at the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service.
Tony Fitzgerald had a vision that all Territorians could achieve community harmony if we could work together. He fought for equal opportunity employment that recognised and valued diversity. Tony was passionate about the need to promote a fair and just society that was free from racial discrimination and inequality.
He was a fierce opponent of the NT Intervention, and what he referred to as the “one-size fits all approach” inherent in measures that accompanied it. Tony was particularly appalled at the Intervention’s suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act, which had been important in ensuring the protection of all Australians from racial discrimination.
He believed it removed the human rights of the community members to complain about unfair treatment. In his submission to the Commonwealth Review of the Intervention in 2008, he called for long term initiatives aimed at overcoming remote Indigenous disadvantage and raising Indigenous quality of life.
The NT Human Rights Awards commemorate the work Tony did and acknowledges the need to continue to recognise and celebrate those who today promote, encourage and advocate on a day to day basis for human rights.