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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.

I recently had the opportunity to address participants in the ALGA National Local Roads and Transport Congress on the role of local government in responding to the mobility and access needs of people with a disability.

All Australians are equally entitled to enjoy the rights, benefits and responsibilities of citizenship. In our society, every person should feel free from discrimination of any kind and have the right to share in the nation's land, resources and wealth. The entitlements and freedoms of all people are recognised in human rights instruments, many of which have been freely signed and ratified by Australia, and in some instances are now a part of Australian law.

On 13 February 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, on behalf of the Australian Parliament, made a historic and long overdue national Apology to the Stolen Generations. With eloquence and emotion, Prime Minister Rudd said what so many Australians have wanted to say, and what so many Indigenous peoples have needed to hear:

“I have had many experiences of discrimination like many of our community, and probably because of our appearance. What they do is for e.g. I was standing beside the road and was given the finger. Or when I enter the store, some people look at me like a stranger and make me feel uncomfortable, and some even say ‘terrorist’.”

HREOC's release of its interim paper, Valuing Parenthood: Options for paid maternity leave sparked an extraordinary community debate about the difficulties of combining work and family responsibilities in modern Australia.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was established in 1986. The Commission's goal is to foster greater understanding and protection of human rights in Australia and to address the human rights concerns of a broad range of individuals and groups. We have a particular focus on race, sex and disability discrimination, as well as the rights of Indigenous Australians. It is an independent statutory organisation and reports to the federal Parliament through the Attorney-General.

According to National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) as of 5 February 2002 there were 16 children with disabilities such as vision impairment, acute dwarfism, trauma, Perthes disease, cardiac, asthmatic and genetic disabilities residing in detention centres (Port Hedland and Woomera). This number does not include any of the detained refugees on the Pacific Islands like Nairu, Christmas Islands and other Australian detention centres in third countries.

The Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria (the Commission) commends the enquiry by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission into the circumstances of children in immigration detention and the longer-term effects of detention on children who have entered the Australian community. This submission considers the post-detention experience and treatment of children and young adults released into the community as recognised refugees, with particular reference to,

The consultation was chaired by Stephen Maguire, Director, Multicultural Affairs Queensland (MAQ), Department of Premier and Cabinet. It was attended by 12 Reference Group members and facilitated by Omeima Sukkarieh (notes) from HREOC.

There is no separate international human rights agreement that deals specifically with sexual orientation or gender identity. However, all people have the same human rights regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.