Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to UN Committee Against Torture, 17 October 2014 14. The Commission has undertaken a range of work that relates to the CAT, as set out in the following table. Australian Human Rights Commission – recent key work that engages the rights contained in the CAT • National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention: In February 2014, the Commission commenced a national inquiry into the impact of immigration detention on the health, well-being and d development of children, and whether laws, policies and practices relating to children in immigration detention meet Australia’s international human rights obligations.6 The inquiry has involved detention centre visits, interviews with families and children in detention, submissions and the conduct of five public hearings. The report of the inquiry will be transmitted to the Government in late October 2014. • Investigation and reporting on complaints under Art.7 and 10 of the ICCPR and Art.37 of CRC: Complaints can be lodged with the Commission alleging that an act or practice of the Commonwealth breaches a person’s human rights under the ICCPR and CRC. The Commission investigates these complaints and attempts to conciliate them. If no outcome is agreed, then the Commission formally reports to Parliament on human rights breaches and proposed remedies. Nine such reports have been tabled in Parliament since 2008. • Parliamentary scrutiny: The Commission considers the compliance of all new legislation with Australia’s human rights obligations, and engages with the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (PJCHR) and other parliamentary committees by making submissions. This includes regular submissions on matters related to immigration detention and counterterrorism. • Immigration detention centre inspections: For the past decade the Commission has conducted formal inspections of the condition of immigration detention centres and publicly reported the outcomes of these visits.7 • Human rights standards for immigration detention: In April 2013 the Commission published a guide to human rights standards in immigration detention. The purpose of these Standards is to assist independent monitors, in their inspection roles. The Standards should also assist in providing a framework for the monitoring and inspections that will be undertaken when Australia becomes party to the OPCAT.8 • Monitoring of human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and children: The Commission is required by statute to prepare two annual reports to the federal Parliament which examine the enjoyment of human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (the Social Justice Report)9 and the rights of children (Children’s Rights Report)10. These reports consider matters raised in the LOIPR – such as Indigenous incarceration, justice reinvestment, constitutional recognition, and the OPCAT. 5