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Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Independent Interim Report on CEDAW
Para 29: The Committee encourages the State party to continue its efforts to tackle the persistent problem of violence against women and urges the State party to adopt national legislation and adopt, implement and adequately fund as a matter of urgency the National Action Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children, including a mechanism for independent monitoring. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Review of Australia’s Fourth Periodic Report on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights
Recommendation 2: The Australian Government pass a federal Human Rights Act that includes recognition and protection of economic, social and cultural rights. -
14 December 2012Book page
Native Title Report 2006: Appendix 3: Recommendations and relevant international human rights law
At the international level there are three broad categories of obligation to which a state may be subject: treaty law, customary international law and emerging international standards. Treaty obligations become binding on states once they have ratified a treaty. This means that the state allows itself to be bound by the conditions and obligations contained within the treaty. Customary international law is enshrined in continuous practice by a majority of states over an extended period of time. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Submission -Social Security and Veteran’s Entitlements Legislation Amendment (Schooling Requirements) 2008 Bill
The Commission commends the Government for recognising the importance of addressing the need to improve school enrolments and attendance as a critical step towards realising the right to education for all children. The Commission supports the Government’s aims to promote and protect children’s right to education. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Web accessibility and Government 2.0 (2009)
The Australian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) makes this submission to the Government 2.0 Taskforce - Towards Government 2.0: An issues paper. -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice14 December 2012Speech
Towards a reconciled Australia: National Press Club speech (2010)
With respect and gratitude I acknowledge that we sit on the lands of the Ngunnawal peoples and I thank the Traditional Owners for allowing us to do so. -
14 December 2012Book page
Commission Website: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention
1. In Beijing in 1995 the Australian government was one of 73 governments that made commitments for national action during their plenary speeches at the Beijing Conference. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 4 - Introduction: Social Justice Report 2009
Homelands still belong to the people, we want to build homes on our land and live there. When we come to the homeland we come back to the peace and quiet. ... It is a much better environment on the homelands, better things for the children.[1] -
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice14 December 2012Speech
Essentials for Social Justice: Land and Culture – Economic Development
Between December 2007 and July 2008 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, will deliver a series of key speeches setting out an agenda for change in Indigenous affairs. -
14 December 2012Book page
Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation - A human rights based approach
Improving the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a longstanding challenge for governments in Australia. While there have been improvements made in some areas since the 1970s (notably in reducing high rates of infant mortality1) overall progress has been slow and inconsistent. The inequality gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians remains wide and has not been progressively reduced. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 2 – An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander human rights protection framework for the 21st century: Social Justice Report 2008
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. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 4: Cultural safety and security: Tools to address lateral violence - Social Justice Report 2011
Lateral violence is a multilayered, complex problem and because of this our strategies also need to be pitched at different levels. In Chapter 3 I have looked at the big picture, with the human rights framework as our overarching response to lateral violence. In this Chapter I will be taking our strategies to an even more practical level, looking at how we can create environments of cultural safety and security to address lateral violence. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Native title payments discussion paper – Optimising Benefits from Native Title Agreements
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner has produced 15 Native Title Reports which include analyses and recommendations on the operation of the native title system and its effect on the exercise and enjoyment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.[1] Particularly relevant is the Native Title Report 2003, which provides a detailed comparative analysis of the international context of Indigenous peoples and agreement-making, concerning their lands, waters and natural resources. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 2: Constitutional reform: Creating a nation for all of us - Social Justice Report 2010
A century ago, the Australian people engaged in a debate about creating a nation. They held meetings...They wrote articles and letters in newspapers. Many views were canvassed and voices were heard. The separate colonies, having divided up the land between them, discussed ways of sharing powers in order to achieve a vision of a united Australia. The result was the Australian Constitution, establishing the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. -
Legal14 December 2012Webpage
Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Australia’s Immigration Detention Network (2011)
The Australian Government should implement reforms it announced in 2008 under which immigration detention is to be used as a last resort and for the shortest practicable period, people are to be detained in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual circumstances, and there is a presumption that people will be permitted to reside in the community unless they pose an unacceptable risk. -
14 December 2012Book page
Social Justice Report 2000: Chapter 5: Reparations
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. -
14 December 2012Book page
Chapter 4: Beyond the Apology - an agenda for healing: Social Justice Report 2008
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: -
15 July 2014Book page
Chapter 1: How far have we come? Looking back on 20 years of the Social Justice Commissioner role
1.1 Introduction This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner (Social Justice Commissioner) role under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth). When I first started in this position I was asked if any of the previous Commissioners had left any words or notes of advice. I answered them ‘no, but they all left ... -
14 December 2012Book page
HREOC Social Justice Report 2002: Chapter 3 - National progress towards reconcilation in 2002 - an equitable partnership?
a) A minimalist response to symbolic issues b) The perceived divisiveness of self-determination c) An emphasis on perceived areas of agreement d) Misrepresenting progress towards practical reconciliation -
13 November 2014Book page
The Year in Review
Building understanding and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms We all have a responsibility to respect the rights and freedoms of others. To make this a reality, the Commission works to build greater understanding of human rights and their importance in daily life. This is one of our two key priorities for 2011-2014. We work with a broad range of groups across the country, providing ...