Equal opportunity for stalkers, embezzlers and perverts

Kiddie porn rights! Miranda Devine, The Sunday Telegraph, July 1:

Australian Human Rights Commission … (president Rosalind Croucher) has ordered a financial services company (Suncorp) to pay ($2500) compensation to a registered sex offender … for “the hurt, humiliation and distress experienced by him as a result of Suncorp’s conduct”. Professor Croucher accepted … (he) “did not fully disclose his criminal record” … when he answered “No” to a question asking if he had “been convicted of an offence” … (he was convicted of ­accessing) “child pornography” … and “possession of child pornography” … Suncorp’s decision … (impaired his) “equality of opportunity”, (she said).

Triggs lite? Michael Koziol, Sydney Morning Herald, June 20 last year:

It only took an hour for the knives to come out for Rosalind Croucher. Barely was the ink dry on her appointment as the next Australian Human Rights Commission president when the Institute of Public Affairs think tank denounced her as a “Triggs lite” choice who would likely continue “the erosion of our freedoms”. Welcome to the new gig.

Great human rights moments from the Triggs era. Natasha Bita, The Daily Telegraph, November 11, 2016:

Bosses are being forced to pay compensation to crims who lodge a discrimination claim when they are sacked over their criminal records … An assistant store manager convicted for possession of child pornography pocketed $2000 for “hurt and suffering’’ after he was sacked over the four-year-old offence. ANZ Bank was told to apologise to a convicted armed robber who it refused to hire … And a ­liquor store shelled out $5000 in compo to a sales assistant who was sacked for lying about his conviction for “indecent dealings with a minor’’ … Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive James Pearson said it was costly … to defend discrimination claims. “It is little wonder some employers pay ‘go away’ money.’’

Other great outcomes. Australian Human Rights Commission, Conciliation Register List, 2016:

(A) complainant … convicted of dishonestly obtaining money … (was paid) $6000 … (A) complainant … convicted of … obtaining money by deception, dishonesty causing risk of loss, embezzlement and obtaining ­financial advantage … (whose) role ­involved unsupervised access to ­account holders’ (banking details) … (was paid) $2400 … (A) complainant … convicted of stalking … (was paid) $5000 … (A) complainant … (convicted of) stalking and conducting a transaction to avoid reporting (who was not employed as a nurse at an aged care facility was paid) $2000 … (A) complainant … convicted of larceny … (who did not get a job) handling cash and selling gift cards to clients … (was paid) $2000 … (A) complainant … convicted of larceny, assault and drug possession … (was paid) $3000.

Great moments in the life of Rosalind Croucher, as recounted by her, womenaustralia.info:

The Headmistress suggested I should go to a school where I could get more competition — or perhaps she wanted to get rid of me! … I did move school … I was once summoned to the Headmaster’s office … I had thrown a blackboard duster at a boy who was being a bit of a wag … The test in fourth class saw me catapulted into the Opportunity Class … after somersaulting off the chair in the Headmistress’s office, I was not enthusiastically given that first opportunity of enrolment … My “dream job” in my teenage imaginings was … Speaker of the House … I was … clueless about motherhood … our Blue Mountains home … (has) its own cricket pitch and a spare house.