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The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act gives HREOC the function of inquiring into complaints concerning breaches of human rights or discrimination in employment. HREOC attempts to resolve such complaints through conciliation where appropriate. If the matter is not resolved through conciliation and the President is satisfied that a breach of human rights or an act of discrimination has occurred, the President reports on the matter to the federal Attorney-General.

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.

The 2006-07 year has been largely dedicated to identifying and eliminating the discrimination faced by people in same-sex relationships in accessing basic financial and work-related entitlements.

The International Labour Organisation Convention 111 deals with discrimination in employment and occupation. Australian adherence to this Convention provides that all people have the right to equal treatment in employment and occupation without discrimination on the basis of:

Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Report of the National Inquiry into the Discrimination against People in Same-Sex Relationships: Financial and Work-Related Entitlements and Benefits (tabled report)

During 2006–07, HREOC received 18 initial requests for access to documents under the Freedom of Information Act. HREOC was also asked to conduct an internal review of two of those decisions.

Back to Table of Contents Appendix 4 The complaint handling process ...

The Commission is a national independent statutory body established under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986. It has a President and five Commissioners. The five positions are currently held by three persons. Please refer to the organisational chart on page 12 for further information.

A central function of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is to undertake education programs that increase public awareness and generate discussion of human rights and anti-discrimination issues within Australia.

Along with its human rights education and promotion function, the Commission undertakes a monitoring role in relation to human rights standards. This monitoring role ranges across the work of the individual Commissioners who examine and report issues of race, sex and disability discrimination and human rights, to the assessment of legislative proposals and presentation of submissions through the Parliamentary Committee process.

The Complaint Handling Section (CHS) is responsible, through the President, for investigating and conciliating complaints lodged under federal anti-discrimination and human rights law. The CHS also delivers a Complaint Information Service. Accordingly, the CHS plays a key role in fulfilling the Commission's objective of delivering an Australian society in which human rights are protected.

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

There is some evidence to suggest that within the Australian community, the idea that it is unacceptable for a government to maintain an immigration detention regime which provides for the long-term incarceration of children behind razor wire, is finally the prevailing view. The actions of the government in relaxing their hard line stance on immigration detention, as far as children are concerned, are possibly the most conclusive proof of this statement.

Over the past year increasing trends of prejudice and harassment of particular groups in our community has continued to be an area of significant concern for me. As noted in the 2002-03 annual report, I launched the Isma project in March 2003 in response to increasing concerns expressed by Arab and Muslim organisations about the rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice in Australia.

In 2003-04, as in past years, much of our international work was in the form of bilateral technical cooperation programs with the national human rights institutions of other countries, or related agencies. These programs, which are based around sharing knowledge and expertise, are generally delivered through the framework of the Australian Government's development cooperation program, which is administered by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

The International Labour Organisation Convention 111 deals with discrimination in employment and occupation. Australian adherence to this Convention provides that all people have the right to equal treatment in employment and occupation without discrimination on the basis of:

The following files are in Portable Document Format (PDF), if you requitre this data in a more accessible form pleases email webfeedback@humanrights.gov.au

Release of ‘Don’t judge what I can do by what you think I can’t’ to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of achievements under the Disability Discrimination Act.

I am delighted to present my first statement as President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Much of what is reported in this volume occurred before I took up my appointment. The last twelve months have been a time of challenge and success for the Commission as it continues the important task of promoting and protecting the observance of human rights in Australia.

The Commission is a national independent statutory body established under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986. It has a President and five Commissioners. The five positions are currently held by three persons. Please refer to the organisational chart for further information.