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The commissioner will inquire into the adequacy and appropriateness of Australia's treatment of child asylum seekers, and other children who are, or have been, held in immigration detention, including:

In summary Mothers Survey Discrimination in the workplace against mothers is pervasive. One in two mothers reported experiencing discrimination at some point during pregnancy, parental leave or on return to work. Discrimination is experienced in many different forms ranging from negative attitudes in the workplace through to job loss. 32% of all mothers who were discriminated against at some…

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was established in 1990 by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (Cth). The Act made provisions for the establishment of 35 representative Regional Councils on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

Current federal anti-discrimination laws would generally apply to cyberspace to the extent that discriminatory behaviour (or harassment) online relates to a protected attribute, and could be said to have occurred in one of the stipulated areas of ‘public’ life. This is particularly clear in relation to the prohibition on sexual harassment under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA), as…

The first twelve months of the federal government's new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs has ended. The primary focus of this period has been on abolishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and creating new processes to engage with local Indigenous communities and coordinate mainstream delivery of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait…

CARAD is a group of volunteers, supporters and donors formed from January 2000, in an attempt to meet some of the range of essential and urgent needs of refugees who reach Perth, following assessment of their claim while in a detention centre. We have now met in excess of 2,000 refugees, not all of whom remain in WA, and have provided them with compassionate, practical assistance. We estimate…

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.

In the Social Justice Report 1999, my first report as Social Justice Commissioner, I identified four key themes and challenges that existed in the approach of the federal government to Indigenous policy making at the time. These were moving beyond welfare dependency, accountability, participation and reconciliation.[1] Since the release of that report approximately four years ago, the key themes…

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.

I believe sexual harassment in the workplace is still very prevalent but its victims remain silent. Most women have experienced some form of harassment in their jobs. However most women will refuse to report it or speak out against their bosses for fear of retribution. I have just been through [six] years of trying to seek some justice in my male dominated place of work. The sexual harassment…

Indigenous children throughout Australia remain very significantly over-represented `in care' and in contact with welfare authorities. Their over-representation increases as the intervention becomes more coercive, with the greatest over-representation being in out-of-home care. Indigenous children appear to be particularly over-represented in long-term foster care arrangements. A high percentage…