JUSTIN MCCAUL

Justin McCaul was interviewed by Sam Emery

  1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? For example what made you interested in human rights advocacy?
  2. I am a descendent of the Mbarbarum Traditional Owners south west of Cairns in far north Queensland. I grew up in Inala in Brisbane and where I also went to high school and university. After graduating I worked for about a year with Kooemba Jdarra – an Indigenous theatre company in Brisbane.
  1. Which of DTP’sprogramsdid you participate in? What was the theme? Which year and country did it take place in?
  2. I participated in the DTP Human Rights program for Indigenous participants in Darwin in 2004.
  1. Which NGO were you working for at the time of attending theprogram? What was the nature of that work?
  2. At the time I’d just begun working with the Australian Conservation Foundation. I was part of a small team working on Indigenous land management and sustainability issues across northern Australia – from the Kimberley to Cape York Peninsula. Our work involved working with Traditional Owners who undertaking ‘caring for country’ projects – manage natural and cultural resources on traditional lands and waters.
  1. Where are you working now and what is your current role?
  2. Currently I am the National Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Program with Oxfam Australia.
  1. What was the most useful thing that you learned on theprogram? Do you have any reflections on the value of theprogramfor your work?
  2. The breadth and depth of international human rights was a real eye opener for me. I’d been aware of human rights treaties before I undertook the training but just how detailed and in some cases how long they have been in place was surprising to me. I also took away from the training a sense that human rights and how governments have a responsibility to uphold them for their citizens, is not well understood by the public and even media. Breaching the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has and continues to occur in Australia but governments can appear unconcerned and much of the public uninformed of issues.
  1. Can you think of any examples of how you have been able to put the skills which you learned into practice in your work? For example, any campaigns where you have used human rights mechanisms etc?
  2. Almost all the work I have done and do now is based around the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the various legislation we have domestically that is to protect or provides rights to Indigenous people e.g. native title. The training I received from DTP has given me a strong foundation on which to build other knowledge about the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people.
  1. Are you still in contact with any of the participants you met on theprogram?
  2. Not from my particular year but I regularly meet other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have completed the training.
  1. Do you have any thoughts or reflections on how the DTP could improve its work?
  2. Just to continue to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to help build their understanding of human rights and to help them become advocates on the rights of our people.