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The immigration status that results in the detention of children under Australian law also affects their entitlements to various services on release from detention, after they have been recognised as refugees. As discussed in Chapter 6 on Australia's Detention Policy, most children detained in immigration detention facilities for long periods are detained because they arrive in Australia without…

I have completed my report of an inquiry into the complaint made pursuant to section 11(1)(f)(ii) of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) by Mr Prashant Cherkupalli.

In early 2011 the Australian Human Rights Commission celebrated 25 years of operation. It was an occasion for us to identify lessons from the past and to envision how we can work even more effectively to fulfil our statutory mandate to protect and promote human rights in Australia.

1.1 Introduction In last year’s Social Justice and Native Title Report, I raised concerns about the changes resulting from the 2014-15 Budget and the restructure to Indigenous Affairs through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS). Despite initial concerns about how these changes would impact our communities, I indicated that the streamlining of programs and the move away from a ‘one size…

This submission to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission's Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention Centres is the result of the work and contributions of many people.

As discussed in Chapter 1, Australia’s international human rights obligations require that individuals who say that they are children be given the benefit of the doubt and treated as minors unless there is proof to the contrary. In the case of unaccompanied children, this should lead to consideration by the State of what steps need to be taken to ensure their special protection and care.

In accordance with the functions set out in section 46C(1)(a) of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth), this report includes 12 recommendations. The recommendations appear in the text of the report and are also reproduced here.

The issue of participation of people with disability in the open workforce has been the subject of much public debate in recent months. This is largely the result of the 'Welfare to Work' package announced in the May 2005 Commonwealth Budget. However, the issue is a longstanding one, as indicated in the submissions to the Inquiry.

Indigenous imprisonment rates in Australia are unacceptably high. Nationally, Indigenous adults are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people[1] and Indigenous juveniles are 28 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention than their non-Indigenous counterparts.[2]

The 2000-01 reporting year was a year of consolidation for the Commission’s Complaint Handling Section (CHS) following the legislative changes to the complaint handling function in April 2000.

6.1 Introduction 6.2 Developing principles for a carer-friendly welfare system 6.3 Current government assistance for families 6.4 Support for all types of families and care needs 6.5 Supporting parents and other carers to work and care 6.6 The need for a consistent and integrated system 6.7 The interaction of taxation and welfare systems 6.8 Fairness in the taxation system for all family types…

When it comes to ‘good policy’ in Indigenous affairs, a core requirement is the effective participation of Indigenous peoples in all decisions that impact on their lives. In practice, this means governments have a responsibility to actively involve Indigenous peoples in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies that affect them, and to make the necessary…