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The Australian Human Rights Commission visited the immigration detention facilities at Villawood from 21 to 25 February 2011. This statement contains a summary of the key observations and concerns arising from the Commission’s visit. It focuses on conditions as they were at that time.

1.1 Introduction 1.2 Machinery of Government changes 1.3 The 2014 Budget 1.4 Leadership, representation and engagement 1.5 Constitutional recognition 1.6 Indigenous Jobs and Training Review 1.7 Closing the Gap 1.8 Stolen Generations 1.9 International developments 1.10 Australian Human Rights Commission complaints 1.11 Conclusion 1.1 Introduction At the beginning of this reporting period, we were ...

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, agreement-making can be an expression of free, prior and informed consent and the beginning of cooperative relationships with governments and other parties.

Climate change has been regarded as a diabolical policy problem globally. The potential threat to the very existence of Indigenous peoples is compounded by legal and institutional barriers raise distinct challenges for our cultures, our lands and our resources.[1] More seriously, it poses a threat to the health, cultures and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples both here in Australia and around the world.

A key priority throughout my five year term as Social Justice Commissioner is to strengthen and rebuild relationships within our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

2.1 Scope of international obligations 2.2 National framework 2.3 Equality before the law and non-discrimination 2.4 Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers 2.5 Right to life, liberty and security of the person 2.1 Scope of international obligations Australia prides itself on its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and has announced its candidacy for election to the Human ...

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]

For more than a decade, the Australian Human Rights Commission has called for reforms to Australia’s system of mandatory and indefinite immigration detention – both in light of the impacts it has on people’s mental health and wellbeing, and because it leads to breaches of Australia’s international human rights obligations. During this time, the Commission has investigated numerous complaints from people in detention and conducted two national inquiries into the mandatory detention system.[1]

1.1 Introduction In last year’s Social Justice and Native Title Report , I raised concerns about the changes resulting from the 2014-15 Budget and the restructure to Indigenous Affairs through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS). Despite initial concerns about how these changes would impact our communities, I indicated that the streamlining of programs and the move away from a ‘one size fits ...