How countries can contribute to the World Conference

“Humanity, although diverse, is one family and one people”

Countries can contribute to the World Conference at various levels. It is hoped that not only will governments give full and enthusiastic official support to the Conference - both to ensure its success and to implement its initiatives (such as national action plans) - but that they will also do all in their power to facilitate community and NGO involvement, with consultations and the provision of resources to allow the voices of communities and individuals to be heard. At present, the Australian government needs community feedback on how Australia can support the World Conference.

What Australia needs to do (national action plan)

Eradicating racism demands concerted action over the long term. Apart from the moral obligation that all civilized societies have to treat all members equally, they are also obliged by international human rights instruments to work to ensure that the state does not in any way promote or foster racism, and instead should actively combat racism.

 Within Australia, there are a range of issues that the Commonwealth Government needs to urgently address. It should seek to implement the findings of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which in March 2000 recommended that Australia:

• “undertake appropriate measures to ensure the consistent application of the provisions of the Convention”;
• ensure that any amendments to the Native Title Act “ensure that the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples will not be further reduced”;
• consider a formal national apology for those “forcibly and unjustifiably separated from their families” (Stolen Generations), including considering monetary compensation
• activate the reconciliation process, for Australia to build on the protections present in the Racial Hatred Act 1995 and in particular to withdraw its objections to Article 4 (a) of the Convention which outlaws all dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred, incitement to racial discrimination, as well as all acts of violence or incitement to such acts;
• address the factors contributing to the disproportionately high rate of incarceration of Indigenous peoples compared with the general population;
• address the issue of the impact of mandatory sentencing in some states and territories, in particular, its racially discriminatory impact on the rate of incarceration of Indigenous Australians, especially juveniles;
• “implement faithfully the provisions of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as well as the 1967 Protocol thereto”.

The implementation of these recommendations is important, not only for the people most affected, but also for Australia’s human rights standing in the international community, and for its ability to take an ethical stance on other issues of international importance.

How your community can contribute.

While individuals or communities often feel that they can do little to influence the tide of change that might sweep over them, around the world campaigns to raise awareness about racism, to expose miscarriages of justice or to defend the rights of persecuted minorities and asylum-seekers have brought huge success. In Australia, communities and ordinary citizens are now getting together to foster respect and understanding for the rights of everyone in the community. In the last few years, we have seen a large number of groups and individuals committing to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. From the Sea of Hands, to the Reconciliation Council’s work, to the marches over the bridges in Australia’s major cities, people are increasingly saying no to racism and bigotry (see Face the Facts, below).

Individuals around Australia now increasingly accept that mandatory sentencing should end. People are increasingly saying that basic human rights should be afforded to those who arrive on our shores fleeing persecution. People are now increasingly saying that women and children should not be arbitrarily detained in Australia’s immigration detention centres.

In sporting life, perhaps the one area of leisure in which we all believe in giving everyone a ‘fair go’ and rewarding excellence, players and codes are introducing ways of ending racism in sport. Codes of Conduct relating to Racism and Racial Vilification is being introduced to various sports, such as the AFL, which introduced the racial and religious vilification code in 1995 in response to the increasing protests of prominent Indigenous footballers at the abuse they were facing. It has led to real change. Here are some quotes from prominent Australians acknowledging how racism does impact on our sportspeople:

"Racism denies people the fundamental human right to judged by their character, by what is inside. This is why it's not easy to experience a lifetime of racial abuse, be constantly reminded of it and yet be expected to simply ignore it"

Michael Long, Indigenous Footballer (AFL) - quoted in The Age 23 April 1997.

"Racism and sport are two words that I don't like to mention in the same sentence, but unfortunately racism does exist in our communities and this contributes to the fact that many of our potential athletes are being overlooked when standing for selection in various teams.

In the wider community, people need to be aware of the underlying factors contributing to the problems Aboriginal people face every day that create hurtful stereotypes; they need to understand that only through working together in a partnership can we overcome disharmony and discord (and realise that the contribution of sport is crucial in assisting understanding and respect, enabling reconciliation to advance."

Sharon Finnan, Indigenous Netballer

"The great successes of our Indigenous sports men and women on the athletic track, on the tennis court, on the football fields and in other sporting areas, and the resulting standing that they enjoy in the general community have been among the most important positive influences in the long process towards reconciliation."

Sir William Deane, opening the 1^st International Conference on Sport and Human Rights, Sydney1999.

How you can contribute

“The responsibility for combating racism extends to us all”.

There are many steps that we can take to fight against bigotry, discrimination and injustice, whether we act as individuals, through our social, political, cultural, religious or sporting groups, or with organizations that focus on human rights. Some are listed below – organizing community action, seeking local Council responses, lobbying your elected representatives, encouraging schools and tertiary institutions to get involved, and writing letters to relevant cabinet ministers are but a few.

Your country needs you!

Click below to move to the following pages of the kit:

1. Racism
2. Why is Racism a Human Rights Issue?
3. Why is the World Conference so important? (top of this page)
4. Action Kit

Return to Introduction

This kit is supported by the following organisations (in alphabetical order) in April 2001: Amnesty International Australia, Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Coalition Against Racism WA, Human Rights Council of Australia Inc., Quaker Service Australia, The Religious Society of Friends in Australia (Quakers),Western Australians for Racial Equality, WA Social Justice Commission - Uniting Church in Australia.