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In 2006 the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet made a revealing statement about Indigenous affairs. He argued that his own government’s policy performance in the Indigenous portfolio had been a failure. He went further to say that while well intentioned, the policies and approaches of the past 30 years had contributed to poor outcomes for Indigenous people.

The Complaint Handling Section (CHS) is responsible for investigating and conciliating complaints lodged under federal anti-discrimination and human rights law. Accordingly, the CHS plays a key role in fulfilling the Commission’s objective of delivering an Australian society in which human rights are protected.

It was established to consider whether Australia's immigration detention laws and its treatment of children in immigration detention comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

On 21 June 2007, the Australian Government announced a ‘national emergency response to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory’ from sexual abuse and family violence.[1] This has become known as the ‘NT intervention’ or the ‘Emergency Response’. The catalyst for the measures was the release of Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into…

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Overview Committee (Queensland), 1996: First Report (Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Brisbane).

The consultation received a number of suggestions about other ways in which the Australian Government could protect the human rights of LGBTI people in Australia. Many participants argued that while anti-discrimination legislation is an important step towards equality, it is essential that it is accompanied by other actions. Suggestions were often informed by personal experiences of…

This appendix provides an overview of the main events with regard to the administration of Indigenous affairs to 30 June 2006. It commences with a summary table and is followed by a detailed description of each event.

8.1 Introduction 8.2 The universal nature of care 8.3 Support for carers combining paid work and caring 8.4 Supporting the diverse needs of carers 8.5 Government provision of formal care for older people 8.6 Greater availability of formal care to meet growing need 8.7 Specialist disability services 8.8 Conclusion

Learn about how Australia has entered international human rights obligations to stop pregnancy and return to work discrimination against women.

In recent years a mutual obligation approach has been adopted to reform public policy on welfare and employment issues. There has been much discussion about the applicability of this approach within an Indigenous policy context. It is seen by many as consistent with Indigenous cultural values such as reciprocity and an emphasis on community, as well as suggesting an antidote to the damage caused…

back to contents Chapter 5: Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities There is no issue currently causing more destruction to the fabric of Indigenous communities than family violence. This has been acknowledged by all levels of government in recent years, with a number of significant inquiries and initiatives undertaken or commenced at the federal, state and territory level to address…

The Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria (the Commission) commends the enquiry by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission into the circumstances of children in immigration detention and the longer-term effects of detention on children who have entered the Australian community. This submission considers the post-detention experience and treatment of children and young adults released…

Indigenous imprisonment rates in Australia are unacceptably high. Nationally, Indigenous adults are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people[1] and Indigenous juveniles are 28 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention than their non-Indigenous counterparts.[2]

The following material was provided to the Inquiry by Michael Williams, Chairman of the Swedish Network of Refugee and Asylum Support Groups in a series of emails in April 2003.

For migrant and refugee job seekers, finding paid work is both a key indicator and a major determinant of successful settlement. Employment is also a crucial area of social and economic participation.