Latest News
Back to News
Humanity a global struggle: Justice Kirby tells VHA conference
Posted 06 October 2017
The way the Australian marriage equality debate is being conducted is extremely distressing for LGBTIQ people with a potentially-negative impact on their health, said the former High Court judge Michael Kirby at the VHA Annual Conference Humanity in health today.
Justice Kirby also said lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and questioning people were being disrespected by having a postal vote.
“This so-called debate is a really unpleasant and distressing thing – even for an old fossil like me – that there are people out there who think we (gays) are not good enough.
“Humanity is a global struggle – a global effort of the human species and healthcare is a human right,” he told the audience at the MCG.
Justice Kirby’s work with a wide range of social, political, scientific, economic, religious, education and humanitarian issues – including with the LGBTIQ community – has earned him widespread respect.
He has undertaken many international activities for the United Nations and the OECD, is Honorary Professor at numerous universities and was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal.
News Archive
View all
Briefing: Royal Commission into Aged Care public hearings
The first round of public hearings, for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, opened in Adelaide on Monday 11 February. Scheduled to run for eight days from 11 February to … Read more

Aged Care Royal Commission direction hearing
The direction hearing for the Aged Care Royal Commission was held in Adelaide on 18 January. The terms of reference were reiterated, including that it covers residential and community care contexts … Read more

REGISTER NOW: Voluntary assisted dying model of care information sessions
In mid-2018, the Department of Health and Human Services engaged the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) to develop the model of care to support the implementation, from 19 June 2019, of voluntary … Read more

Submission to the voluntary assisted dying implementation taskforce
With the passing of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 last year, the VHA has been engaged by the Department of Health and Human Services to work alongside the model of care working group. The … Read more
News Tags & Search
News Tags
- Russell Kennedy
- State Trustees
- Weploy
- Ipro
- Rosemary Hardham Associates
- The Hdr Group
- Clear 2 Work
- First State Super
- Vhaplus
- Ndiscovery
- Funding Reform
- Governance Evaluator
- Health Metrics
- Governance
- State Budget Submission
- Federal Budget Submissions
- Bulletin
- National Health Reform
- Media Release
- Nexa
- Rsm Australia
- Accenture
- Sonifi
- Space For Health
- Klas Research
- Ceo
- Aged Care
- Information Management
- Population Health
- Service Reform
- Workforce
- Sage
- Safety Quality
- Kronos
- Consumers
- Submissions
- Acute Care
- Home Community Care
- Planning
- Rural Remote Healthcare
- Alcohol Other Drugs
- Mental Health
- Primary Community Health
- Strategic Plan
- Public Health
- State Election 2014
- Reports
- Elective Surgery
- Emergency
- Media
- Ambulance Services
- Continuity Of Care
- Oral Health