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The Commission would like to thank the children and young people who participated in the project and demonstrated great courage in allowing us to hear and tell their often painful and traumatic stories, in a hope that things would change for the better.

The current mandatory detention policy of the Commonwealth of Australia breaches the fundamental principle of the rights of the child which is that children should be able to develop to their full potential. The policy breaches every article of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The policy violates the right to health as established by international law.

All Australians have human rights. Human rights are universal: they are for everyone, everywhere, everyday. Human rights are based on values such as freedom, equality and dignity and seek to protect our quality of life.

4.1 Introduction Alcohol consumption, misuse and related harm are some of the most challenging issues confronting communities across the length and breadth of Australia. These challenges are not limited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, but confront every demographic in Australian cities and towns. From Kings Cross to Halls Creek, St Kilda to Santa Teresa – communities…

The immigration status that results in the detention of children under Australian law also affects their entitlements to various services on release from detention, after they have been recognised as refugees. As discussed in Chapter 6 on Australia's Detention Policy, most children detained in immigration detention facilities for long periods are detained because they arrive in Australia without…

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission occupies a unique place in Australian society. It sits independent of Government, yet it is not what is traditionally known as a non-government organisation (NGO) or an advocate.

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]

1. The provisions made by Australia to implement its international human rights obligations regarding child asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors.

The Commission plays a significant role in monitoring legislation and policy in Australia to assess compliance with human rights principles. This monitoring role includes:

The objective of the Commission’s new strategic plan is to build on the Commission’s strengths so that it is in a better position to help build an Australian culture where human rights are understood, respected and enjoyed by ‘everyone, everywhere, everyday’.

Release of ‘Don’t judge what I can do by what you think I can’t’ to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of achievements under the Disability Discrimination Act.

DR OZDOWSKI: Good morning everybody. I would like to formally open this public hearing which is the last, hopefully, of the series held around Australia. My name is Sev Ozdowski and I'm the Human Rights Commissioner and to my right I've got Professor Trang Thomas, who is Professor of Psychology at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Today the Commission will be assisted by counsel…

This submission has been produced by the Queensland Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) and the Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC). The submission is also endorsed by a number of individuals and organisations working directly or indirectly with asylum seekers and refugees (See list on page 2). Their staff hear similar stories and reports from their clients and have come to…

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.

The Commission is a national independent statutory body established under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986. It has a President and five Commissioners. The five positions are currently held by three persons.

We commend HREOC for instituting this Inquiry and thank them for giving us the opportunity to make input on an issue which is of grave concern to the Co-operative which, for 23 years has been advocating for the rights and needs of immigrant children and their families in a diverse multicultural society.

1.1 That the Australian Government immediately appoint an independent person to conduct a comprehensive review of the whole native title system and report back to the Attorney-General by 30 June 2010. This review is to: