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 Recommendation 11: That all legislation, policies and programs be reviewed for consistency with the rights affirmed by the Declaration. 154 Recommendation 12: That the Australian the Government ratify the ILO Convention No. 169 (1989) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries. 155 Recommendation 13: That the Australian Government sign and ratify the Optional Protocol on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. 156 Recommendation 14: That the Australian Government develop a comprehensive, long-term plan of action, that is targeted to need, evidence-based and capable of addressing the existing inequities in health services, in order to achieve equality of health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-indigenous Australians by 2030. Recommendation 15: The Commission recommends the Australian Government address the discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with hearing impairment and deafness on the basis of their race and disability. Recommendation 16: The Commission strongly recommends that the Government take urgent action to support the reinstatement of bilingual education approaches in schools, and safeguard the future of bilingual education through binding agreements with state and territory governments and ongoing resources to support its implementation. 157 Recommendation 17: That the Australian Government: • establish a national Indigenous languages body with functions and responsibilities similar to those of the Māori Language Commission as per the commitment of Indigenous Languages - A National Approach. • agree to resource an ongoing plan of action for the preservation and promotion of Indigenous languages as recommended by the national Indigenous languages body. • Become a signatory to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). • through COAG, develop agreements to ensure consistency and compliance with Australia’s Indigenous Languages - A National Approach. 158 Recommendation 18: That housing programs should avoid imposing or promoting housing arrangements that would undermine Indigenous people’s control over their lands; and should be administered by Indigenous community controlled institutions. 159 Recommendation 19: That the Australian Government continue to fund community education and community development programs aimed at preventing family violence in Indigenous communities. 47