Humanists Australia is now calling for nominations for the 2022 awards for the Australian Humanist of the Year and the Young Australian Humanist of the Year.

Compiled from material written by Dr Laadan Fletcher and HSWA committee records.

The Humanist Society of WA was formed at a meeting held at Perth Technical College in May 1965. By June, there were 37 founding members, who paid a subscription of one pound. The following month, a letter published in The West Australian, deploring the teaching of evolution in schools, gave members the opportunity to reply, placing the first Humanist statement in the local press.

The Committee enquiring into Northern Territory Senator Dr Sam McMahon’s private Senator’s bill to restore the rights of the Northern Territory to make its own laws called for submissions in August 2021. Senator McMahon had introduced her bill Ensuring Northern Territory Rights Bill 2021 earlier in the month to right a wrong committed almost 25 years ago and restore the Territory’s right to pass its own laws.

Senator McMahon said the Bill, which has passed the first and second reading speech stages, has been referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee to conduct an inquiry and report back to the Senate.

Humanists Australia responded to the call (deadline of August 30) with this submission.

There are still people who don’t like to include Aboriginal people in the life of the nation, except as runners and footballers. People who like to diminish the culture and the civilisation that Australian Aboriginal people had before European invasion. There was an abundance of evidence of the sophistication of this culture that was patently obvious to the explorers and pioneers. We’re still struggling to accept that evidence today.

Read the full article here.