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Australia is a signatory to a number of International Conventions, which are relevant to mandatory detention of children in Australia’s immigration detention centres. Under International law, each of the conventions that Australia has ratified is binding on the Australian state, which is obliged to bring its domestic laws into conformity with their stipulations. In Australia, International Conventions do not have legal force in domestic law, and cannot be directly applied by the domestic courts in Australia, unless the Australian Parliament enacts them into legislation.

Although it is not possible to precisely specify all the circumstance that lead people to arrive in Australia through people smuggling routes, there can be no doubt that they undertake perilous journeys which put their lives and that of accompanying family members at risk. Given the very high rates of approval for those who have sought asylum in Australia through these routes, it is reasonable to assume that most detainees have fled their countries for reasons of persecution.

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.

Commissioners: DR SEV OZDOWSKI, Human Rights Commissioner MRS ROBIN SULLIVAN, Queensland Children's Commissioner PROFESSOR TRANG THOMAS, Professor of Psychology, Melbourne Institute of Technology MS VANESSA LESNIE, Secretary to the Inquiry

The quality of educational opportunities is very bad because the students are too traumatized to concentrate and it seems as if there is very little psychological help. There are no programs, no curriculum, no accountability to management, no education plan, no photocopier, no textbooks, no continuity in learning because teachers (in general) do not stay longer than 12 weeks, before September 2001, contract teachers could only stay for 9 weeks. A lot of students got frustrated because of that.

1. I am registered as a teacher in South Australia [number removed] and hold a Batchelor of Education specialising in Junior Primary/Primary education. These are my understandings and opinions based on my observations and experiences in Woomera IRPC.

When the Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth) (the Age Discrimination Act or the Act) was introduced in 2004 it heralded a new era in the recognition of age discrimination in Australia. Subsequently, the Australian Human Rights Commission published a paper ‘Roadmap to the Age Discrimination Act’ which provided an analysis of the Act as it was conceived in 2004.[1]

This paper outlines major international research findings of the past ten years reflecting knowledge gathered about the psychological health of child and adolescent refugee/asylum seekers. In doing so, several key areas of consistency are identified. First, with the majority of research in this area centered on the prevalence of psychopathology, and particularly post-traumatic stress symptoms, it has been clearly demonstrated that refugee children and adolescents are vulnerable to the effects of pre-migration, most notably exposure to trauma.

Artwork Submitted to the Inquiry The following poems and drawings were submitted to the inquiry. Click on the images below to view larger versions. 1. Drawings provided by a child who has been in detention at Port Hedland IRPC for 22 months. 2. Two poems and a drawing provided by the mother of a child at Woomera IRPC Click here to read: Just for Australian Kind People (1) and Just for Australian ...

The Australian Human Rights Commission launched its consultation regarding protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, sex and/or gender identity on 1 October 2010.

Schofield King Lawyers was contracted by the Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commision) to investigate intersections between the law, religion and human rights focusing on:

back to African Australians Compendium 2010 - African Australians: human rights and social inclusion issues project A compendium detailing the outcomes of the community and stakeholder consultations and interviews and public submissions Contents 1 Recognition of Indigenous context 2 Overview 2.1 Scope and framework 2.2 Project partners and governance 2.3 Consultation strategy and approach 2.4 ...

"When I first arrived on this soil, I asked around about who the custodians of the land were here.... it's very important for us to know about the land and its history. This was common practice for us back home. Unfortunately though no-one could actually tell us. For me it really showed that as newcomers we have an obligation to remember the history of this land and its original people, and that we always pay respects to that..." (Community Leader, Victoria).

As Professor Graeme Hugo's background paper indicates, there is a long history of migration between African and Australia - however in recent years, it has accelerated.

back to African Australians Compendium 2010 - African Australians: human rights and social inclusion issues project A compendium detailing the outcomes of the community and stakeholder consultations and interviews and public submissions 3 Current policy and operating context There are a number of important current policy and legislative developments that impacted on the project. In summary, key ...

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.

Education is a key determinant in predicting health and well-being, longevity, employment, housing and economic stability. This section documents the issues emerging from the consultations and public submissions in relation to education.

While feedback in relation to the legal system was actively sought throughout all of the consultations, a number of targeted consultation sessions with individuals and organisations specifically involved or engaged in the legal system were also undertaken. These included:

The Commonwealth Government continues to encourage migrants and refugees to settle in regional, rural and remote areas, and many regional areas now have fairly stable, and in many instances, growing African Australian populations.