5th ICCPR report and concluding observations
The Human Rights Committee considered Australia's 5th Periodic Report under the ICCPR (link to PDF file) in 2009.
International
Scrutiny by human rights treaty bodies
Each of the main human rights treaties requires parties to submit regular reports to a specialist Committee on their implementation of their obligations.
These Committees are composed of independent experts elected by the parties to the treaty. A number of eminent Australian experts have served on these Committees, including
Non-diminution of rights
CERD
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1966 (CERD) (the Convention) was one of the first human rights treaties to be adopted by the United Nations. More than 156 countries (four-fifths of the membership of the UN) have ratified the Convention; including Australia, which ratified the Convention on 30 September 1975.
Rights and freedoms: web links
Links from bayefsky.com
bayefsky.com is an extensive collection of resources maintained by leading human rights academic Anne Bayefsky and colleagues. In many cases it provides easier access than the official UN document versions.
The site includes
Australia's Universal Periodic Review
Following Australia's appearance in the UPR process, the Australian Human Rights Commission committed to publishing an annual report on the status of implementation of the UPR recommendations. The series of annual reports will track Australia's performance in the lead up to its next review in 2015.
Get Involved
Discover how the Commission wants all Australians to get involved in human rights. You can learn more by signing up for our email list.
Universal Periodic Review on human rights - FAQ (2016)
The UPR is a unique process that involves the regular review of the human rights situation in each country in the world. The UPR provides two major opportunities for Australia:
Independent Interim Report on CEDAW
Para 29: The Committee encourages the State party to continue its efforts to tackle the persistent problem of violence against women and urges the State party to adopt national legislation and adopt, implement and adequately fund as a matter of urgency the National Action Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children, including a mechanism for independent monitoring.
Australia's Second Universal Periodic Review on human rights
Learn about the Universal Periodic Review, which is undertaken by the UN every four years to examine the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States.
