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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.

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.

The Complaint Handling Section had a productive year investigating and conciliating complaints of alleged discrimination and human rights breaches; providing information to the public about federal anti-discrimination and human rights law through its Complaint Information Service and community education and liaison program; and providing complaint investigation and resolution skills training to…

The Commission's jurisdiction to hear and determine complaints of unlawful discrimination ceased on 13 April 2000 with the commencement of the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Act (No.1) 1999 (Cth) and was transferred to the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Service. The Commission retained the jurisdiction to complete those public inquiries that had commenced prior to 13 April 2000.

Dr Sev Ozdowski was appointed Human Rights Commissioner in December 2000 for a five year term. He is also the acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

Dr William Jonas commenced duty as acting Race Discrimination Commissioner in September 1999 in addition to his duties as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

In 2001-02, as in past years, the Commission participated in some bilateral international program activities, generally as part of the Australian Government's development cooperation program developed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

Established in 1996, the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions became an incorporated public company limited by guarantee on 20 March 2002. It is now an independent legal entity and the Forum Secretariat has a formal agreement with the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for the provision of accommodation and corporate services for its operations.

The International Labour Organisation Convention 111 deals with discrimination in employment and occupation. Australian adherence to this Convention provides that all people have the right to equal treatment in employment and occupation without discrimination on the basis of:

Initial inquiries about access to Commission documents should be directed to the Freedom of Information Officer by either telephoning (02) 9284 9600 or by writing to:

* When complaints under the Racial, Sex and Disability Discrimination Acts are terminated, the complainant may apply to have the allegations heard and determined by the Federal Court or the Federal Magistrates Service.

I have audited the financial statements of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for the year ended 30 June 2002. The financial Statements comprise:

Contents Significant achievements Statement from the President Chapter 1: The Commission Outcomes structure Human rights education and promotion Chapter 2: Complaint Handling Section Chapter 3: Legal Services Chapter 4: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Chapter 5: Disability Rights Chapter 6: Human Rights Chapter 7: Race Discrimination Chapter 8: Sex Discrimination Chapter…

I have the pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for the period ending 30 June 2001, pursuant to section 45 of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986. The report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of subsections 25(6) and (7) of the Public Service Act 1922.

Improved access to services for people with a disability including captioned movies in major cinemas and improved mobile phone servies for people using hearing aids

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…

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Annual Report 2000-2001 Back to contents Click here to view a larger verion of the HREOC Organisational Chart If you require this information in a more accessible format, please contact paffair@humanrights.gov.au

The Commission is an 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. Please refer to the organisational chart on page 16 for further information.

The 2000-01 reporting year was a year of consolidation for the Commission’s Complaint Handling Section (CHS) following the legislative changes to the complaint handling function in April 2000.

As a result of the enactment of the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 1999 (Cth) the jurisdiction of the Commission to conduct public inquiries into complaints was transferred on 13 April 2000 to the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Service. However, the Commission retained the jurisdiction to complete those public inquiries it had commenced prior to 13 April 2000. During 2000&…