Australian Human Rights Commission
Australia and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (ICERD), Shadow report to the CERD Committee – 8 July 2010
Table of Contents
1
Introduction.................................................................................................... 4
2
The Australian Human Rights Framework................................................... 4
3
The Social Inclusion Agenda as a national policy priority......................... 4
4
The domestic implementation of ICERD and the Durban Declaration and
Program of Action (DDPA) ............................................................................ 5
4.1
An implementation mechanism for ICERD in Australia .......................... 5
4.2
Consolidated approach to research and data.......................................... 5
5
Positive developments .................................................................................. 6
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities ................................ 6
Migrants and people from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds............................................................................................... 7
5.3
Asylum seekers .......................................................................................... 7
5.1
5.2
6
Issues relating to Indigenous peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples) ........................................................................................... 9
6.1
Constitutional protection against racial discrimination (ICERD Articles
1,2,5(a),6 and Declaration Article 2).......................................................... 9
6.2
Implementing the Declaration ................................................................... 9
6.3
Ratification of international human rights instruments ........................ 10
6.4
Indigenous disadvantage (ICERD Article 5 and Declaration Articles
3,4,19,21) ................................................................................................... 10
6.5
Indigenous health (ICERD 5 and DRIP 24) ............................................. 11
6.6
Indigenous education and employment (ICERD Article 5 and
Declaration Article 13, 14) ....................................................................... 12
6.7
Indigenous languages (ICERD Article 5 and Declaration Articles 13,14)
................................................................................................................... 14
6.8
Indigenous housing and homelessness (ICERD Article 5 and
Declaration Articles 21,23) ...................................................................... 14
6.9
Family violence and other race and gender issues relating to
Indigenous women (ICERD Article 5 and Declaration Article 22) ........ 15
6.10 Indigenous peoples and the criminal justice system............................ 16
6.11 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER)(ICERD Articles 1,2
and Declaration Articles 2,3,21,23) ......................................................... 17
6.12 Native Title (ICERD Articles 2, 5 and Declaration Articles
3,10,11,20,25,26, 27,28,29,32) .................................................................. 21
6.13 Homelands (ICERD Article 5 and Declaration Articles 3,11,12,20,21).. 21
6.14 Stolen Generations (ICERD Article 6 and Declaration Article 8) .......... 22
6.15 Stolen Wages (ICERD Article 6 and Declaration Article 8) ................... 22
7
Issues relating to migrants and ethnic minorities .................................... 24
National Multicultural Policy (ICERD Article 2)...................................... 24
Persistence of racist attitudes (ICERD Article 2)................................... 24
International student safety (ICERD Article 5) ....................................... 26
African Australian communities (ICERD Articles 2,5)........................... 28
Planning for population growth .............................................................. 29
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
2