The Australian government recently appointed Tim Wilson, an outspoken classical liberal, to its Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Wilson's agenda is ambitious: He seeks to promote a culture of rights and responsibilities so that every citizen understands their rights and confidently stands up for them against government encroachment.
In his lectures to The New Zealand Initiative, Tim Wilson will show how human rights are the foundations of classical liberal thought – and how freedom is the ultimate human right.
Underlying this is the belief that people own their own lives; that rights are universal and can be reasonably and consistently exercised by individuals to pursue their happiness and enterprise. The classical liberal view of human rights is narrow and focuses on basic concepts such as freedom of speech, association, worship, protection of property and protection against arbitrary detention. In balancing competing rights, deference is towards more freedom, not less.
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion of the relationship between freedom and human rights.
About the speaker
Tim Wilson was appointed Australia's Human Rights Commissioner in February 2014.
Dubbed the "Freedom Commissioner", Tim is a proud and passionate defender of universal, individual human rights. As Commissioner he is focused on promoting and advancing traditional human rights and freedoms, including free speech, freedom of association, worship and movement and property rights.
Prior to his appointment Tim was a public policy analyst and a policy director at the world's oldest free market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs. He has also worked in trade and communication consulting, international aid and development, as well politics. He has served as a Board member of Monash University's Council and on the Victorian Board of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Tim is a Director of Alfred Health.
He has extensive experience in public debate and has had many regular radio and television commitments, with both commercial and public broadcasters. The Australian newspaper recognised Tim as one of the ten emerging leaders of Australian society. He has written extensively for newspapers, journals and books. He recently co-edited the book Turning Left or Right: Values in Modern Politics.
Tim graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Policy) and a Masters of Diplomacy and Trade (International Trade) from Monash University. He has also completed executive education at Geneva's Institut de Hautes Etudes Internationales et du Développement and the World Intellectual Property Organisation's Worldwide Academy.
Date: Monday, 30 June 2014
Time: 5.45 PM - 7.30 PM
Location: The University of Auckland, Level 3, Decima Glenn Room, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Rd, Auckland
Date: Tuesday, 1 July 2014
Time: 5.45 PM - 8.00 PM
Location: The New Zealand Initiative, Level 12, Bayleys Building, 36 Brandon St, Wellington