Search results

In order for us to realise the Commission’s vision of a society where human rights are for everyone, everywhere, every day, we have made building understanding and respect for human rights one of our two key policy priorities. We are seeking to lift the level of consciousness within the Australian community of the importance of human rights to the maintenance of our free, democratic, inclusive and peaceful society.

There is an urgent need for sound policy in Indigenous affairs. Chapter 1 of the Social Justice Report 2006 considers what some of the key elements of good Indigenous policy making are.

[1] The following guidelines are adapted from Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Engaging the Marginalised: Partnerships between indigenous peoples, governments and civil society, 15 August 2005 (2005), at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/conference/engaging_communities/index.html#link2 (viewed 23 November 2009); Australian Human Rights Commission, Draft guidelines for ensuring income management are compliant with the Racial Discrimination Act (2009), at http://www.humanrights.gov.au/word/race_discrim/RDA_income_ma

This report covers my final year as the Race Discrimination Commissioner, a position I have occupied for five years alongside my position as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

Learn about the Wiyi Yani U Thangani project, which works to improve health, housing and education outcomes for Indigenous women and girls in Australia.

It is with great pleasure that I present my first Social Justice Report (the Report) as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, having commenced my five-year term on 1 February 2010.

I have spent a lot of time this past year convincing people from all walks of life that the challenges facing Indigenous peoples in this country are not insurmountable.

I would like first of all to follow UN custom and protocol and pay tribute to the Aboriginal Peoples of this land, the original occupants and owners of this territory, and thank them for hosting our meeting today. On behalf of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Coordinator of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, Mr. Jose Antonio Ocampo, I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all of you and a special thanks to our partner, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (Australia).

In accordance with the functions set out in section 46C(1) (a) of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth), this report includes ten recommendations on formal protections for Indigenous peoples’ human rights, four recommendations for remote Indigenous education, and one recommendation for Indigenous healing. The report also contains one follow-up action that I will undertake in the next 12 months in relation to providing advice on a model for a new National Indigenous Representative Body.

3.1 Introduction In chapters 1 and 2, I look back over the past 20 years that the Social Justice Commissioner position has been in place and think about the journey and our learning over this time. In this chapter, I want to explore how those lessons can take us forward to chart a confident course into the future and how the realisation of our rights can produce long term sustainable improvements ...

This report has focused on proposals for the leasing or alienation of Indigenous land, with a specific focus on the Indigenous Land Tenure Principles released by the National Indigenous Council (NIC). The purpose of this Chapter is to discuss these Principles from a human rights perspective, with a particular focus on the right to development.