Australia’s Human Rights Community Has Dobbed Us In To The United Nations

A coalition of 190 Non Government Organisations (NGOs) have warned the United Nations that Australia’s human rights performance is “steadily deteriorating” and handed a range of recommendations to the international body, including that the Australian Human Rights Commission have its powers increased and independence strengthened.

In a submission to the UN’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) the organisations highlighted a range of areas where Australia was failing to make progress or regressing, including asylum seeker rights, government consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, police related deaths, poverty and homelessness.

Anna Brown, Director of Advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, helped coordinate the submission, and told New Matilda Australia had experienced “a really unfortunate slide in a number of key areas” since 2011.

“We’ve seen increasingly punitive and harsh refugee policies that we would say breach international law and a sliding in protections for democratic freedoms, including the proliferation of anti-protest laws,” Brown said.

She also pointed to the series of security and surveillance laws passed in recent months by the Coalition government with the support of Labor as a concern.

In responding to these challenges the submission recommends Australia urgently restore funding and independence to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

“Since the last UPR there have been unprecedented government-led attacks on the AHRC’s independence and functioning,” it said.

“These include a very substantial reduction in funding; the appointment of a Commissioner without a transparent process; the reduction of the Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Age Discrimination Commissioner from full-time to part-time roles; and persistent attacks on the President of the AHRC and attempts to procure her resignation.”

Brown said the Australian government had been acting inconsistently by promoting itself as a leader in human rights at the UN but taking backward steps at home.

In September last year, Australia co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution “reaffirming the importance of establishing and strengthening independent, pluralistic national human rights institutions”.

Since then, senior members of the Coalition have led regular public attacks on Australia’s own Human Rights Commission, targeting President Gillian Triggs in the lead-up to and fallout following the release of the Forgotten Children report.

Attorney-General Department Secretary Chris Moraitis allegedly encouraged Triggs to resign in February, offering her alternative government work if she would step down.

Despite the fact Australia is currently trying to join the UN’s Human Rights Council, the attacks on Triggs have continued in recent days.

“This is why I think this review is very timely. There needs to be more done to make sure Australia is held accountable for the statements it makes,” Brown said.

The UN’s Universal Periodic Review is a relatively new mechanism used to monitor human rights around the world. The review occurs once every four years and was first run in 2011.

According to the submission made by the 190 NGOs, Australia has failed to act on the majority of the recommendations made by the UN during that review.

“Of the 145 recommendations made to Australia as part of the last UPR, only 11 per cent of those accepted (in whole or in part) have been fully implemented and 19.7 per cent have been partially implemented,” the submission said.

Brown pointed to some signs of progress since then, including the introduction of a National Children’s Commissioner, the inclusion of protections for LGBTI people in the Sex Discrimination Act, and the introduction of a National Human Rights Action Plan.

However, the Abbott government has batted away criticism levelled by the UN, with the Prime Minister telling media Australians were “sick of being lectured to by the United Nations” after a report by special rapporteur Juan Mendez found some of Australia’s anti-asylum seeker policies breached the international convention against torture.

The government is currently finalising its own submission to the Periodic Review which is due in July, the office of Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed.

“The Government welcomes a vigorous, diverse and balanced human rights debate in Australia and will continue to consult with NGOs and community groups throughout the UPR process,” a spokesperson said.

Who Signed Up

The submission is endorsed, either in part or in whole, by organisations including: