Australia — A new human rights webpage for secondary students was launched in Sydney today. Information for Students is an online education resource for secondary school students to help them gain an awareness and understanding of human rights; their origin and history, the development of international human rights norms and contemporary human rights issues in Australia. Information for Students (http://www.humanrights.gov.au/info_for_students/index.html) was launched by Federal Attorney General, the Hon. Philip Ruddock MP, and HREOC President, the Hon. John von Doussa QC. "I commend the Commission on the important role it plays in education and raising awareness in order to build tolerance, cultural understanding and respect for human rights," said Mr Ruddock. "The task of protecting human rights is never finished, and it is our students who must ultimately take this task forward. It is up to our young people to ensure that our human rights are safeguarded and actively promoted in the future." Mr von Doussa said: "Educating the community about human rights is not just about disseminating information. Students need to understand what human rights are about, what responsibilities go with those rights and how they are relevant to their everyday lives." He said Information for Students would "greatly assist young people in their development as informed, active citizens and would encourage values of tolerance, respect and understanding." Jessica Bloom, a St Catherine's of Waverley pupil and winner of the junior section in the 2005 Human Writes essay competition, spoke about the human rights abuses she witnessed first hand in South Africa. She concluded by saying: "Our young people, who will shape the future of our country and the world, desperately need human rights education. The education of today's young people will give us a generation of informed adults. This is the best way to protect human rights, now and for the future, and there is nothing more worthy of protection." Information for Students complements the existing Information for Teachers web-based program (www.humanrights.gov.au/info_for_teachers/index.html), and builds upon the findings of Rights of Passage, a recent HREOC report that provided an insight into what Australian young people know and think about human rights. Rights of Passage http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/rights_of_passage/ showed that while the views of our youth embody some of the best characteristics of the Australian ethos - fairness, tolerance, egalitarianism, respect and celebration of difference - they are not without their apprehensions. It also highlighted the importance of human rights education programs and resources to students and teachers and showed the link between knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Source HREOC, 24 February 2006 ###