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ALHR submission on Draft National Human Rights Action Plan
From newsletter: First newsletter for 2012
Published: 02/03/2012
Published: 02/03/2012
ALHR welcomed the opportunity contribute to the next stage of public consultation in the Government's National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP), making a detailed submission on the Exposure Draft.
To recap, for those of you who perhaps haven't been following the issue as closely as our dedicated submissions team, the HRLC have provided a helpful overview:
Our 30-page submission, prepared by Lily Tsen, Liz Snell, Breony Allen, Adrienne Walters and Tiffany Henderson was detailed and I would recommend reading the full version here (the first two pages contain a succinct overview).
Overall, while it is encouraging to see the Government undertake a holistic and consultative process to consider our strengths and address our shortcomings in human rights laws and practice, the draft NHRAP exposes a number of missed opportunities.
Firstly, while we welcome the Government's commitment to implement the UPR recommendations accepted by Australia through NHRAP, we were disappointed that the Government rejected those recommendations relating to the establishment of a Human Rights Act, reparations for the Stolen Generations and compensation for Stolen Wages, same-sex marriage, the abolition of mandatory detention, and the equal access to and protection by the law for irregular migrants.
We were also disappointed that the Exposure Draft mainly focussed on existing activities, and lacked specific indicators, measures and timeframes (many were described as 'ongoing'). This represented a missed opportunity to forge a concrete commitment to improving the promotion and protection of human rights.
We were also disappointed by what appears to be a lack of commitment to human rights by the States and Territories, which is concerning given the Federal Government is reliant on working with the State and Territory governments to implement NHRAP. To this end, we have written letters to the Attorneys-General of the States and Territories urging them to immediately commit to the NHRAP.
I thank and congratulate Lily, Liz, Breony, Adrienne and Tiffany for their work on this submission, and the State and Territory convenors involved in lobbying their local governments.
To recap, for those of you who perhaps haven't been following the issue as closely as our dedicated submissions team, the HRLC have provided a helpful overview:
The purpose of the Baseline Study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of human rights protection in Australia to identify priority areas for the Action Plan to address and to provide a basis for measuring progress over time.
The draft NHRAP outlines a number of proposed actions to address the human rights issues identified in the Baseline Study. The exposure draft of the NHRAP reflects work currently underway within Government but also includes a number of new actions, some of which reflect commitments made by the Australian Government throughout the Universal Periodic Review process.
The draft NHRAP outlines a number of proposed actions to address the human rights issues identified in the Baseline Study. The exposure draft of the NHRAP reflects work currently underway within Government but also includes a number of new actions, some of which reflect commitments made by the Australian Government throughout the Universal Periodic Review process.
Our 30-page submission, prepared by Lily Tsen, Liz Snell, Breony Allen, Adrienne Walters and Tiffany Henderson was detailed and I would recommend reading the full version here (the first two pages contain a succinct overview).
Overall, while it is encouraging to see the Government undertake a holistic and consultative process to consider our strengths and address our shortcomings in human rights laws and practice, the draft NHRAP exposes a number of missed opportunities.
Firstly, while we welcome the Government's commitment to implement the UPR recommendations accepted by Australia through NHRAP, we were disappointed that the Government rejected those recommendations relating to the establishment of a Human Rights Act, reparations for the Stolen Generations and compensation for Stolen Wages, same-sex marriage, the abolition of mandatory detention, and the equal access to and protection by the law for irregular migrants.
We were also disappointed that the Exposure Draft mainly focussed on existing activities, and lacked specific indicators, measures and timeframes (many were described as 'ongoing'). This represented a missed opportunity to forge a concrete commitment to improving the promotion and protection of human rights.
We were also disappointed by what appears to be a lack of commitment to human rights by the States and Territories, which is concerning given the Federal Government is reliant on working with the State and Territory governments to implement NHRAP. To this end, we have written letters to the Attorneys-General of the States and Territories urging them to immediately commit to the NHRAP.
I thank and congratulate Lily, Liz, Breony, Adrienne and Tiffany for their work on this submission, and the State and Territory convenors involved in lobbying their local governments.