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1. The provisions made by Australia to implement its international human rights obligations regarding child asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that around half of the 50 million displaced persons in the world are children. Around 10 million of these children are under the care of UNHCR. Approximately 100,000 separated children roam Western Europe.(1) During 1999 alone, more than 20,000 separated children applied for asylum in Western Europe, North America or Australia.(2) Of those 20,000 unaccompanied children, 46 travelled to Australia to seek asylum. In the same year a further 202 children sought asylum in Australia with their families.(3)

The Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) is an independent non-government organisation and is the peak body for the social and community services sector in NSW. NCOSS works with its members on behalf of disadvantaged people and communities towards achieving social justice in New South Wales. It was established in 1935 and is part of a national network of Councils of Social Service which operate in each State and Territory and at Commonwealth level.

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.

The Australian Psychological Society categorically condemns the practice of detaining child asylum seekers and their families, on the grounds that it is not commensurate with psychological best practice concerning children’s development and mental health and wellbeing. Detention of children in this fashion is also arguably a violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The defining feature of the past year has been the focus on reconciliation ... But as we reach this crucial stage in relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, reconciliation has come to mean different things to different people. Reconciliation has been described as a 'peoples movement' ...having reached a level of community support that is now unstoppable. For the government it is also a term that means practical measures to achieve practical improvements in the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples ... For many Indigenous peoples it has been seen as yet another opportunity ...

DR OZDOWSKI: I would like to formally open this public hearing which is one of a series of hearings conducted around Australia. My name is Sev Ozdowski and I'm the Human Rights Commissioner. I have two colleagues sitting with me, Mrs Robin Sullivan who is Queensland Children's Commissioner, who is assisting with the Inquiry and Dr Trang Thomas who is Professor of Psychology at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology who is the second Assistant Commissioner. I also have Ms Vanessa Lesnie, sitting to my left and she is Secretary to the Inquiry and she will also ask some of the questions.

It is a story of colonisation; the threat of losing our cultural authority to manage our societies; and the despair that has come from that disempowerment. It is a story of grief and trauma and the continued pain of living with grog, drug and violence.

This table includes summaries of every native title determination that occurred during this period, and notable or interesting agreements; it does not include every Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) registered or other native title agreements made over this period, due to the large volume. A snapshot of applications, determinations and ILUAs from this period is provided at the end of this table.

This discussion paper briefly discusses federal laws which exclude same-sex couples from accessing financial and work-related entitlements. The paper discusses the following areas of federal law:

DR OZDOWSKI: I declare the Wednesday session of the public hearings for DIMIA and ACM being a part of the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention open. Could I ask Counsel Assisting to finalise the issues which were not finished yesterday and attend to the issue of education.