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Experiences of discrimination differed greatly depending on whether the discrimination was based on a person’s sexual orientation or on a person’s sex and/or gender identity.

We must face up to our humanitarian responsibilities to accept refugee children and their families. We must take them out of the immigration detention centres and welcome them into the community where they can play, learn and grow. At least then when our children look back on this time and ask us what we did to stand up for refugee kids, we can say we gave them their childhood." (Calvert, 2001).

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]

The first twelve months of the federal government's new arrangements for the administration of Indigenous affairs has ended. The primary focus of this period has been on abolishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and creating new processes to engage with local Indigenous communities and coordinate mainstream delivery of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Twelve months on, the new arrangements remain in a transitional phase. It will be a number of years before they are fully locked into place.

Last year’s Social Justice Report noted that to date there has been insufficient attention by governments to processes which ensure greater Indigenous participation and control over service design and delivery as part of an overall strategy to redress Indigenous disadvantage and economic marginalisation. I observed that:

This submission to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission's Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention Centres is the result of the work and contributions of many people.

Throughout Australia’s history the relationship between the mining industry and Indigenous peoples has been less than harmonious. The drive for resources has seen the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples sacrificed in favour of economic growth. While many problems still remain today, there is evidence of a recent shift in the attitude of mining interests towards neighbouring Indigenous communities. Leading resource corporations such as Rio Tinto and Newmont have demonstrated willingness to formally recognise obligations towards traditional land owners and local Indigenous communities.

a) Rates of incarceration of Indigenous women b) Recidivism rates among Indigenous women c) Types of crime committed by Indigenous women d) Over-policing e) Sentencing patterns for Indigenous women f) Characteristics of Indigenous women who are imprisoned

Michael Dudley Conjoint Senior Lecturer, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales and Sydney Children's Hospital, and Chair, Suicide Prevention Australia

This appendix provides an overview of the main events with regard to the administration of Indigenous affairs to 30 June 2006. It commences with a summary table and is followed by a detailed description of each event.