Presented by Sarah Butcher, School of Law and Justice
Article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for protection of a child’s right to privacy. Australia has ratified the Convention; however, the protection of children’s privacy rights is in a piecemeal way across the country. There is human rights legislation which explicitly protects the right to privacy in a minority of states and territories but, at a federal level, there are very weak privacy protections. Privacy is key for the development of the child. Professor Joseph Cannataci, in his former role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, identified that children’s privacy relates not only to informational privacy, but also bodily and mental privacy, decisional autonomy, personal identify and physical/spatial privacy. The issue facing Australia is how best to protect children’s privacy, and whether there are already examples in other jurisdictions which could provide guidance to enable children to control their privacy and, if necessary, leave their past behind.
Sarah currently teaches the core course Property Law to both LLB and JD students. She also leads the elective Property Conveyancing. Sarah enjoys the quirks of the differences in the property law systems in the countries she has lived and studied in. Sarah's research area lies in privacy law. Her PhD considered the privacy issues facing vulnerable members of society, namely children and also rehabilitating offenders, as they try to move on with their lives and leave their past behind. Sarah is currently a member of the Triathlon Australia Elite Selection Committee. This committee plays a key role in nominating athletes for Olympic and Paralympic triathlon events. When Sarah is not immersed in cases, statutes and books she can be found training for a triathlon, ultra running, mountain biking, or sailing.
For more information, please email law@usq.edu.au