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Craig Foster

2 May 2023

Be inspired by Craig Foster as he delivers two speeches on the role of sport in human rights

Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster AM is a strong human rights advocate, a member of the Multicultural Council of Australia and an Ambassador for Human Rights and Refugees with Amnesty Australia. He works with a vast range of social programs in Indigenous football, homelessness and domestic violence.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for his significant services to multiculturalism, human rights and refugee support organisations, and to football. He is the NSW Australian of the Year for 2023 and Chair of the Australian Republic Movement.

We’re excited to welcome Craig to Deakin and hear from him – twice! – on some important and challenging topics:

‘The beautiful game of empathy: Craig Foster’s quest for fair play and justice for refugees’

Sport promotes its social credentials as inclusion, respect and equality and yet, curiously, often seeks to restrict these concepts to its own industry, between the stadium walls. Craig Foster believes that privilege carries responsibility and that, as an industry in Australia and around the world, sport has a visibility, economic gains and a social licence that obligates it to go further.

Why does sport seek to support refugees within its own confines, and yet allow them to be tortured outside? What is the difference between sport acting as a political agent or a neutral broker of social justice and human rights? Where is the line at which sport should cease to be an agent for the betterment of people everywhere? Through his stand for refugee rights in Australia, Craig will explore the future of sport advocacy.

Craig’s presentation is brought to you by the Faculty of Business and Law and Deakin CREATE (Centre for Refugee Employment, Advocacy, Training and Education). 

When: Monday 15 May, 1–2pm
Where: The Banks (LC1.003), Building LC, Burwood Campus or online via a live stream.

Register now.


2023 Deakin Law School Oration
‘Using the law to change society: Sport, human rights and national identity’

What is the role of human rights law in sport? No longer an ‘apolitical’ space, sport can now be a powerful agent for change, with athletes using their voice to advocate for justice and corporate sponsorships becoming linked to social values.

These fascinating issues will be the focus of the 2023 Deakin Law School Oration: ‘Using the law to change society: Sport, human rights and national identity’. This speech will be delivered by Craig Foster as part of Victorian Law Week 2023.

Craig will also explore the duty of sport to uphold the rights of Indigenous people and the implications of human rights law for a future Australian republic. Don’t miss this chance to learn more about his vision for a truly inclusive Australia – all members of the Deakin community are welcome.

When: Monday 15 May, 6–7pm
Where: The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

Register now.



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