Child-friendly version of the Children’s Rights Report 2019

What is the Children’s Rights Report 2019?

The report tells the Australian Government how it can do better in looking out for children and young people. The version on this page is for children and young people.

The report was prepared by Megan Mitchell, the former National Children’s Commissioner. It's the National Children's Commissioner's job to make sure children in Australia are well cared for and their human rights are protected.

What are human rights?

Our human rights are the things we all need to have a good life. They also make sure we are kind and fair to each other.

Children’s rights are written down in a document called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

As a child, you have the right to:

• be treated fairly
• have a say about decisions affecting you
• live and grow up healthy
• get information that is important to you
• be safe, no matter where you are or who you are with
• be cared for and have a home
• privacy
• get an education
• know who you are and where you come from.

How are children in Australia doing?

Most children in Australia live in safe, healthy environments and do well, but there are many children whose rights are not well protected.

Some of the children who need better protection include children with disabilities, children in care, children in remote and rural Australia, children from different cultural backgrounds and LGBTI children.

The United Nations

There is a special group of people called the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. These people watch out for children all over the world and tell governments how they can better protect children’s rights.

In 2019, the Committee looked at what life is like for children in Australia and told the Australian Government what it could do to make things better.

Australian governments have promised to make sure that all the children living in Australia get all their rights.