Australian Human Rights Commission
Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, 18 September 2017
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Social_Policy_and_Legal_Affairs/I
nquiry_into_surrogacy/Report (viewed 11 September 2017). The Committee’s 10 recommendations
concern improving access to well-regulated and lawful domestic surrogacy arrangements so that there
is less need for Australians to travel overseas to engage in surrogacy (Recommendations 1-6), and to
promote better protection of the human rights of birth mothers and the children they carry on behalf of
Australian citizens involved in international surrogacy arrangements (Recommendations 7-10). If the
recommendations are adopted, it will be a step towards more uniform domestic laws that provide
increased access to well-regulated surrogacy arrangements in Australia, and increased scrutiny of the
practices in other countries which should lead to better human rights outcomes.
188 The Global Compact Network Australia is comprised on business stakeholders ranging from multinationals and top 200 companies down to smaller enterprises.
189 Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review Australia, HRC, 31st sess, Agenda
Item 6, Addendum 1, UN Doc A/HRC/31/14 (31 January 2016) [63]. At
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/AUIndex.aspx (viewed 11 September 2017).
190 Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Government, Modern Slavery in Supply Chains
Reporting Requirement (Public Consultation Paper and Regulation Impact Statement) (2017) 5. At
https://www.ag.gov.au/Consultations/Pages/modern-slavery-in-supply-chains-reporting-requirementpublic-consultation.aspx (viewed 11 September 2017); The Hon Michael Keenan MP, Minister for
Justice, ‘Proposed new laws to help end modern slavery’ (Media release, 16 August 2017). At
https://www.ministerjustice.gov.au/Media/Pages/Proposed-new-laws-to-help-end-modern-slavery-16August-2017.aspx/ (viewed 11 September 2017).
191 Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Parliament of Australia, Modern
slavery and global supply chains: Interim report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs,
defence and Trade’s inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia (August 2017) Joint
Committee’s report on Modern Slavery, Recommendation 1, [4.55]. At
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024092/toc_pdf/Modernslaveryandgl
obalsupplychains.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf (viewed 11 September 2017).
192 Australian Human Rights Commission, Submission No 33 to Joint Select Committee on
Government Procurement, Inquiry into the Commonwealth Procurement Framework (5 April 2017) 2.
At http://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=b8cec9b3-343e-47b4-87f9fa21808c875f&subId=510109 (viewed 11 September 2017).
193 Joint Select Committee on Government Procurement, Buying into our Future (June 2017)
Recommendation 2, [9.16]. At
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024068/toc_pdf/BuyingintoourFuture.
pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf (viewed 11 September 2017).
194 Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Parliament of Australia, Modern
slavery and global supply chains: Interim report of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs,
defence and Trade’s inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia (August 2017)
Recommendation 1, [4.43]. At
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024092/toc_pdf/Modernslaveryandgl
obalsupplychains.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf (viewed 11 September 2017).
57