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4. The Impact of Detention on the well being of children and additional measures and safeguards required in detention facilities (Terms of Reference 4 & 5)

The Ethnic Communities Council of Western Australia commends the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and Human Rights Commissioner Sev Ozdowski in particular, for instituting the Children in Immigration Detention Inquiry.

The Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory's research indicates that as at 24 November 2001 a total of 7933 unlawful non-citizens were admitted to Australian detention centres in the 2000-01 financial year.

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

Refugees are a group at high nutrition risk. There is a strong duty of adequate nutritional care for institutionalised persons. The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is the largest member organisation for nutrition professionals in Australia. It is notable that DAA has been unable to identify significant input by nutrition professionals into the planning or provision of care for asylum…

Comments on Transcripts of the Public hearings for DIMIA and ACM by Philippa Goodwin, Deputy Secretary DIMIA Comments on Transcript of the Public Hearing held in Sydney on 2 December 2002 Comments on Transcript of the Public Hearing held in Sydney on 3 December 2002 Comments on Transcript of the Public Hearing held in Sydney on 4 December 2002 Comments on Transcript of the Public Hearing…

Whilst employed as a registered nurse at the Woomera detention centre, it came within the parameters of my duties to treat all detainees, men, women, and children. I would like to share some anecdotes of some of those patient contacts that occurred between myself and specifically the children (or child related contacts). The dates of my employment at the WIRPC were early August 2000- mid February…

4. I was the Business Manager at the Woomera Immigration, Reception and Processing Centre (WIRPC) from May 2000 to the end of May 2001. I was the senior DIMIA official at the WIRPC.

This report provides an investigation of early intervention and diversionary practices aimed at preventing offending behaviour in Indigenous young people with a cognitive disability[1] and/ or a mental health problem. It builds on our previous report, Indigenous young people with cognitive disabilities and the Australian juvenile justice system.[2] Specifically, it examines what is available for…

Throughout the course of the Inquiry, a number of serious disturbances occurred in immigration detention centres, including riots, fires, hunger strikes, protests, self-harm and suicide attempts.

1) Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD): additional information to Australia's 10 th , 11 th and 12 th periodic reports under CERD, March 2000; 2) Human Rights Committee: additional information to Australia's third and fourth periodic reports, for consideration during the 69 th session, July 2000; and 3) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:…

Along with its human rights education and promotion function, the Commission undertakes a monitoring role in relation to human rights standards. This monitoring role ranges across the work of the individual Commissioners who examine and report issues of race, sex and disability discrimination and human rights, to the assessment of legislative proposals and presentation of submissions through the…

There is some evidence to suggest that within the Australian community, the idea that it is unacceptable for a government to maintain an immigration detention regime which provides for the long-term incarceration of children behind razor wire, is finally the prevailing view. The actions of the government in relaxing their hard line stance on immigration detention, as far as children are concerned…

The Commission’s vision is of and for an Australian society in which the human rights of all people are respected and promoted. Our task is to find practical, pragmatic ways to turn the rhetoric of human rights into an everyday reality for all Australians and build a more tolerant and inclusive community. As this report indicates, this past year has been a period of substantial achievement…

Mr Graeme Innes AM continued to serve on a part time basis throughout 2000-01 as Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner. In this role he assists with the handling of public enquiries, exemption applications and the development of standards under the Disability Discrimination Act.

Dr Ozdowski has made public education on human rights a priority for his term. Other priority areas are the elderly in our ageing society and children. Dr Ozdowski is working to progress the Commission’s 2000 recommendations for alleviating age discrimination, as set out in the report Age matters: a report on age discrimination.

The Commission undertakes bilateral international activities, generally as part of the Australian Government's development cooperation program developed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The most substantial of these is the Human Rights Technical Assistance Program, which is an integral part of the annual Dialogue on Human Rights with China.

On 25 June 2012, the Australian Parliament passed legislation to establish Australia’s first National Children’s Commissioner. The Commissioner will be a member of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

[1] Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Top End, http://www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts/regions/te.html (viewed 17 December 2008) [2] D Green, Climate change impacts on remote Indigenous communities’ health in northern Australia, Climate Change Impacts and Risks CSIRO (2006), p 21. At http://www.sharingknowledge.net.au/files/indigenoushealth_cc200606.pdf (viewed 17 December 2008…

We are often invited to share our knowledge and expertise with others in the region and around the world. For example, we engage in regular technical cooperation programs with China and Vietnam and currently support a number of disability organisations in Pacific Island countries.