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The year of this report saw several significant changes and developments within the Commission. Some were anticipated; some had been delayed; some were more welcome than others all led to a full and active twelve month period.

Last year I set out my priorities for my term as Social Justice Commissioner.[1] My priorities revolve around the central idea that to address the disadvantage faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and build a more reconciled nation, we need to develop stronger and deeper relationships:

The consultations with Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and a limited number of other stakeholder groups, discussed in detail in chapter 2, focused on the Discussion Paper issued in June 2004 entitled Promoting Economic and Social Development Through Native Title (at Annexure 1). The Discussion Paper proposed the following principles for promoting economic and social development through native title agreements:

While its role and functions, as set out in legislation, are primarily directed towards human rights issues within Australia, the Commission undertakes an international education and training role, with a specific focus on agencies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee conducted an inquiry this year into the federal government's implementation of recommendations made by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in Bringing them home. The inquiry considered proposals for the establishment of an alternative dispute resolution tribunal for members of the stolen generations; and considered the consistency of the government's response to the recommendations with the reconciliation process and the aspirations and needs of members of the stolen generations.

In this Diversity Strategy, we have brought together our commitments under 4 separate reporting areas which all have a diversity focus. Our commitments under the Reconciliation Action Plan, the Disability Action Plan, the Agency Multicultural Plan and our Workplace Diversity Program intersected and overlapped and streamlining was designed to reduce our reporting time, duplication of activity and ...

Our aim is to make this a reality. To that end we strive to build understanding in the Australian community about what human rights are and their relevance for everyday life. We have made good progress on our journey, but we know we have more work to do.

The primary responsibilities of the Legal Section are to assist the President or their delegate in the preparation of notices and reports under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth); to act as counsel or instructing solicitor for the Commission in interventions and amicus curiae matters; to assist the Commission in work arising from legislation or bills raising human rights issues and to monitor and promote awareness of developments in international and domestic human rights law, including discrimination jurisprudence in the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Cour

The Hon. Catherine Branson was appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission on 7 August 2008 and commenced her five year term on 14 October 2008.