Australian Human Rights Commission media release: 14th December 2010

Concerns raised about Darwin immigration detention facilities

The Australian Human Rights Commission has raised concerns about the high numbers of families with children and unaccompanied minors being held for longer periods of time in immigration detention facilities in Darwin.  In a statement on the Commission’s visit to immigration detention facilities in Darwin, Commission President Catherine Branson QC said she was concerned about the impacts prolonged detention were having on the health, education and psychological needs of children.

Implementing the Declaration will strengthen participation of Indigenous peoples

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 3 December 2010

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has joined with Indigenous People’s Organisations from 15  countries in the Asia Pacific Region in a bid to breathe life into the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The increased incidence of suicide and self-harm amongst detained asylum seekers over recent months has again highlighted the damaging impacts of prolonged and indefinite detention on the mental health of asylum seekers. The suicides of two detainees at the Villawood detention centre since September and the protest on Christmas Island during which 10 asylum seekers sewed their lips together have evidenced the urgent need to review Australia’s policy of mandatory detention.  In its report on Christmas Island released in October, the Australian Human Rights Commission highlighted the inadequacy of mental health services on the Island and expressed concern about the increasing rate of self-harm amongst detainees. The report is available here. Amnesty International Australia expressed similar concerns in a recent submission to the UN Committee Against Torture on immigration detention. The submission drew attention to the rise in self-harm and attempted suicides, the noticeable distress amongst detainees and the deficiency of mental health resources across all facilities. The submission is available here.

In September, RCOA issued a media release calling for a review of the mandatory detention policy, urging the Australian Government to seek out alternatives to detention for asylum seekers. The release is available here.

The Refugee Council of Australia has welcomed the High Court ruling on Australia’s offshore refugee status assessment process as a long-awaited and critical step towards a fairer and more rigorous system. The High Court ruled that two Sri Lankan asylum seekers were denied procedural fairness in the review of their claims under the processing arrangements which apply to asylum seekers who enter Australia through excised offshore territory. In a unanimous decision, the High Court ruled that any review of a refugee status assessment must be bound by the provisions of the Migration Act and the decisions of Australian courts. The main impact of this decision is to put all people seeking asylum in Australia on an equal footing. Both the mainland and offshore asylum processes will now be subject to judicial review in situations where an error in legal reasoning has occurred or where procedural fairness has been denied. Read the High Court judgement here.  RCOA’s media release on the judgement can be found here.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia Bulletin

Using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), a briefing paper called "Early post-school outcomes of Indigenous Youth: the role of literacy and numeracy" explores the impact of literacy and numeracy levels on the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. The paper focuses on the early post-school outcomes of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people between 1999 and 2007. Raising the levels of literacy and numeracy for Indigenous youth would help to improve some of their educational outcomes. However, many Indigenous young people face multiple disadvantages, such as poor access to post-school education and poor health, in addition to low literacy and numeracy levels, which subsequently affect their outcomes.

Download the briefing paper here.  If you are not already registered with LSAY, it is a free and quick process.

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 8 November 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the announcement today by Prime Minister Julia Gillard that the Australian Government will establish an expert panel to work towards including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Constitution.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, said formally recognising the special and unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s Constitution was central to developing stronger and deeper relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the rest of Australia.

The latest annual report from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) reveals that Australia issued 9236 offshore refugee and humanitarian visas and 4534 onshore protection and humanitarian visas in the 2009-10 financial year. The top countries of origin for offshore visas were Burma 1959, Iraq 1688, Bhutan 1144, Afghanistan 951, Congo (DRC) 584, Ethiopia 392, Somalia 317, Sudan 298, Liberia 258, Sierra Leone 237.

Report calls for end to mandatory detention on Christmas Island - Australian Human Rights Commission Media Release, 29th October 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has released its 2010 Christmas Island immigration detention report today and has again recommended an end to mandatory detention and offshore processing on Christmas Island.

Commission President and Human Rights Commissioner Catherine Branson QC, repeated the Commission’s long-held view that detaining asylum seekers in remote locations like Christmas Island was not appropriate.

“The Commission’s concerns about Christmas Island have been compounded this year by the significant increase in the number of people in detention on the island which has led to overcrowding and deteriorated conditions,” Ms Branson said.

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 18 October 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed today's announcement that the Australian Government will move some families and unaccompanied minors out of immigration detention facilities into community-based accommodation.

Commission President Catherine Branson QC, said the Commission also hoped the Government would expand these efforts and implement them as quickly as possible.

The winners of the 16th annual National Indigenous Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards, aka the Deadlys, were recently announced, and indigenous young people have collected plenty of awards!  Take a look at the winners in all categories here.

Acting Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Neroli Holmes has called upon the Queensland government to repeal a provision of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (the Act) that exempts not for profit associations from the anti-discrimination provisions of the Act when providing goods and services.

'Recreation is an important part of the Australian lifestyle. We all enjoy our recreational activities but unfortunately, the law does not set a level playing field to allow all to participate. A recent Tribunal case has made it clear that in Queensland, sporting and other recreational clubs are free to discriminate when providing goods and services' Ms Holmes said.

The Multicultural Development Association has recently launched its new “Brisbane Actionweb for Refugee Collaboration" (BARC) website, as a community project. This hub will, in time, act as a central source, or "one-stop-shop" for information dissemination about refugee-related events, employment, projects, research, etc. While some information may have a limited audience, much of the information will be of relevance to anybody in the wider migrant and refugee sector. In one month from now, the Brisbane City Council multicultural team will stop distributing information that will be readily found on BARC.

Oxfam’s new briefing paper ‘Asylum Seekers: the way forward’ recommends a genuine regional protection framework that involves countries of origin, transit and destination and that is sanctioned by the UNHCR. The briefing paper has been provided to both the Government and Opposition. The paper can be found here.

From the UN's Dept of Economic and Social Affairs

“The world’s indigenous peoples have preserved a vast amount of humanity’s cultural history. Indigenous peoples speak a majority of the world’s languages, and have inherited and passed on a wealth of knowledge, artistic forms and religious and cultural traditions. On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we reaffirm our commitment to their well-being”, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on 9 August during the observation of the Day.

This year's observance at UN Headquarters in New York marked the midpoint of the Second International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People and focused on indigenous filmmaking. It was organized by the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in cooperation with the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The event featured four short films by indigenous film makers from Sweden, Alaska, Russia and the Caribbean.

Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, welcomed the recent report from the expert committee on the Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Australia made its regular appearance before the committee in Geneva several weeks ago, and the Australian Human Rights Commission made a statement during the hearing. The Committee's report has welcomed the Australian Government's apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the expression of support to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the commitment to address indigenous disadvantage through the COAG "closing the gap" targets. It also welcomed the involvement of the Australian Human Rights Commission in its process.

12^th August 2010 marks the start of the International Year of Youth. This year’s theme is “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”. With this theme in mind, the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition  (AYAC) is calling for more attention and commitment to “closing the gap” for Australia’s Indigenous young people, and calls upon the major political parties to make a stronger commitment to closing the gap in the lead up to the federal election.  Read the media release here.

The 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey summary booklet is intended for use by Indigenous Engagement Managers while visiting Indigenous Communities. It presents a shorter summary of the results from the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, on a wide range of topics including population, culture and language, health, education, labour force, housing, family and support networks, children and young adults.  Download the booklet here.

A publication from the Australian Bureau of Statistics brings together statistics on international migration into and out of Australia, interstate migration within Australia and information on overseas-born residents of Australia. Australia's migration is described in the context of the Government's migration program and in comparison with international migration experienced by other countries. Download the report by clicking this link.

David Hume, a visiting fellow at the University of NSW, has written a commentary on a recent High Course decision regarding refugee decisions, and the appeal process.  Read his article here.

Australian Human Rights Commission - Media Release, July 20th, 2010

World Refugee Day should remind us of our responsibilities to people seeking asylum

The Australian Human Rights Commission has used World Refugee Day today to remind Australians of the ongoing need for asylum seekers to be treated humanely.

Commission President Catherine Branson QC, said World Refugee Day, which marks the beginning of Refugee Week, should cause us to reflect on the harsh reality that millions of people around the world flee their homes every year to escape persecution.

Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia - Media Release, 21 June, 2010

Refugees – Australia’s Dividend

This Refugee Week (20-26 June) the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) is thanking refugees for the huge contribution they make to Australia.

“Refugees are Australia’s dividend,” said FECCA Chair Pino Migliorino. “To invest in refugee settlement, refugee health and welfare, is to invest in Australia’s future.

“Refugees contribute greatly to Australia – making us a stronger, smarter, fairer country.

Refugee Week 2010 officially started on Sunday 20th June, although there were already a number of events taking place from Friday evening to celebrate this important cause.  There are still two events planned in Queensland, listed below.

The Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC) is holding state-wide consultation forums for all stakeholders to participate in the development of the Queensland Plan for Multicultural Mental Health. If you are interested in multicultural mental health, please either attend a community consultation session or complete our online survey. For more information on locations and dates for the consultation sessions, or to do the online survey, visit: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/pahospital/qtmhc/policies.asp.

As part of the recent Queensland Multicultural Policy Review process, MYNQ submitted a paper highlighting a number of issues affected refugee and migrant young people.  These issues include Language Barriers and Access to Interpreters, Education and Schools, Housing and Homelessness, Children and Families, Violence and Racial Conflict/The Justice System, What is "Multiculturalism"?, and What is working well?

The full report can be read here: MYNQ Reponse to Multicultural Policy Review

The submission period has officially ended, but if you need to submit something last minute, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

See here MYNQ's draft submission to the Multicultural Policy Review.  Please email suggestions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Refugee Council of Australia has released a report examining the allocations within the 2010-2011 Federal Budget, and how refugees and those seeking humanitarian protection will be affected by them.  The report can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/cUQaSj

At the MYNQ meeting on March 3rd, former Senator Andrew Bartlett spoke to the network about systemic advocacy, how to approach it, how to incorporate it into your work, and how to use existing structures.  His presentation was filmed so that people who can't be present at meetings can still benefit from Andrew's experience and knowledge.  Click "read more" to expand this entry to watch his presentation, which is in two parts.  If you have logged into the website, feel free to ask questions and post comments.

As you may have heard, the consultation period for the Multicultural Policy Review has been extended.  Dates have been set for consultations in Cairns, Toowoomba, Mt Ommaney, Sandgate, Redcliffe, Townsville, Moorooka, Mt Isa, Yeppoon, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg. Dates have yet to be released for Brisbane South, Brisbane North, Caboolture, Gold Coast and Logan.  All details can be found at the Multicultural Affairs Queensland website.  Please keep an eye on this website for updates.  Remember if you would like to be a part of the MYNQ submission, please contact Daniel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening of an art exhibition at Waterfront Place in Brisbane City.  The exhibit is called "Pacific Storms" and showcases contemporary works by Pacific Islander artists, and a number of Australians of Pacific Islander heritage.  The exhibition was opened by rugby league legend Mel Meninga, who spoke proudly of his own cultural roots in Vanuatu.

The exhibit is free, and open weekdays until January 2, at Waterfront Place Foyer, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane City.  Don't miss out!  More information is available at www.beyondpacificart.com.au.

Coinciding with and responding to the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial at QAG and QGOMA, in Brisbane, Queensland, the other APT features a range of artworks from Australian-based artists of various cultural backgrounds and artforms: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Australian South Sea Islander, Fijian, Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino and more.

The exhibit is available online here: http://www.cybertribe.culture2.org/theotherapt and is definitely worth a look!

In this article at Inside Story Savitri Taylor and Brynna Rafferty-Brown argue that supporters of human rights for asylum seekers have the choice of down-playing the concerns raised by the opposition or of acknowledging the dilemmas and reminding the Australian public that there is a price to be paid if we wish to remain a liberal society.

Read the full article online at http://inside.org.au/liberalisms-asylum-dilemma/.

From ABC Online News

A Queensland Indigenous leader says being sent to jail has become a badge of honour among many young Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Indigenous people from all over Queensland are meeting in Brisbane to discuss ways to fight the high rate of reoffending within their community. They have been told by the Queensland Corrective Services Department that the number of Indigenous people in the state's jails has risen to almost a third of the total prison population.

Sam Watson, an activist and community leader, says it is a worrying trend. "Looking at particular communities across Queensland, it almost seems to be some sort of rite of passage for young people to commit offences, go into custody and then from there go into jail," he said. "For a number of years now Hollywood has been presenting this sort of image of the glorified gangster who must make his bones by killing someone.

After four years in immigration detention, Masoud was granted a temporary visa. Then he was hit with a $264,000 bill for his "accommodation" in Baxter Detention Centre. There are hundreds more like him - experiencing unimaginable trauma only to then be slugged with an enormous bill for the privilege.

Media release from the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, the Hon Kate Ellis MP

The Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis, today called on the Senate to support the Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Student Services and Amenities and Other Measures) Bill 2009, which will be debated in the Senate this week.

The Bill proposes a sustainable approach to restoring vital student services on campus that will benefit both domestic and international students.

“This is a balanced, practical solution to rebuild important student support services and amenities,” Ms Ellis said.

One World Many Faces - Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival 2009 - Queens Park, 10am-4pm, Sunday 9th August

Behold the colours, taste the flavours and listen to the voices of our community. Come and celebrate all the different cultures & languages that exist within our region! Diversity is one of the great strengths of our community culturally, socially and economically.

The Festival committee is proud to announce that all foodies can be catered for with over twenty food stalls including Vegetarian, Halal, Vegan and Gluten free food will be available as well as chilli chocolate and lots of tastes from our local communities.

Full story from The Australian Online .

ABORIGINES have won a 13-year battle in the Federal Court for native title rights over a massive swathe of Cape York Peninsula that includes Rio Tinto's giant bauxite mine in Weipa.

The court ruled yesterday that the Wik and Wik Way people have traditional rights -- to camp, hunt, gather, fish, protect sacred sites, conduct traditional ceremonies and "erect shelters and other structures" -- over 1150sqkm of their traditional land and waters on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula.

Rio must pay compensation to the Wik and Wik Way people in return for the right to lay gas pipelines to service its Weipa mine.

Brisbane City Council has a number of grants available.  Grants fall under the following programs:

Community Grants Program
Lord Mayor's Sustainability Grants
Environmental Grants Program
Wildlife Carer Funding Program
Cultivating Community Gardens Grant Program

Reclink and Communify are hosting FREE weekly League Tag every Wednesday from 10am to 12 noon at New Farm Park.  See this flyer for details!

Story from The Australian Online

THE axing of nutrition programs in schools in remote Aboriginal communities has led to heavy criticism of the West Australian government and the prediction by one principal that school attendance will drop.

The state Health Department was unable to reveal yesterday how many schools were set to lose their nutrition programs, but a health official has told one affected school that no annual contracts funded under the four-year Australian Better Health Initiative program will be renewed in this financial year.

School nutrition programs are seen as critical to school attendance in many remote Aboriginal communities.

The axing of the programs is part of a larger series of cuts by the West Australian government to preventive health programs funded under the Australian Better Health Initiative.

The Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery, Warren Snowdon, today encouraged organisations with expertise in smoking prevention and quitting smoking to join a $10.7 million initiative to reduce smoking amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Mr Snowdon said Indigenous rates of smoking have sat at 49 percent for a decade, and the $10.7 million will be spent on community-based projects that provide culturally-appropriate, effective anti-smoking messages and campaigns.

“This Government is committed to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation. Reducing Indigenous tobacco smoking is vital to achieving this health improvement,” Mr Snowdon said.

Nearly 27,000 people are homeless in Qld, according to a report released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“Qld holds an unenviable position – having the 2^nd highest rate of homelessness (behind the NT),” said QCOSS President Karyn Walsh.“The stats show the problem is critical across the board – a 60% increase in people sleeping rough in inner-city Brisbane, a doubling of homelessness in Mackay, and a much higher than average rate of homelessness in older people,” says Karyn.The Qld Council of Social Service (QCOSS) welcomes the recently announcement of $200m by the Commonwealth and State Governments to reduce homelessness in Queensland.  This comes on top of the Queensland Government’s earlier investment which was introduced in 2006. 

Story from ABC News Online

Western Australia's Deaths in Custody Watch Committee is calling for both the State and Federal Governments to hold a public inquiry into racism in the justice system.

Chairman Marc Newhouse says committee members believe the recommendations of a coronial report into the death of Warburton elder Mr Ward do not go far enough.

Mr Ward died from heatstroke in January last year after being driven almost 600 kilometres in a prison van in 42-degree Celsius heat without air conditioning.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is now accepting nominations for the 2009 Human Rights Medals and Awards.  

"Since 1987, the Australian Human Rights Commission has recognised the often extraordinary contribution to Australian society of a wide variety of men and women committed to issues of human rights, social justice and equality through the annual Human Rights Medals and Awards.

Each year we receive outstanding nominations for the Human Rights Medals, Young People’s Human Rights Medal and seven award categories: Law, Community (Organisation), Community (Individual), Literature (non-fiction), Print Media, Television and Radio."

 Are you aged between 12 and 26 years with a great idea for an art project? Do you and your friends want to hire a venue for your next gig? Or to you want to print flyers to promote your upcoming exhibition but don’t know how to pay for it?

A recent media release from Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett's office states that regional art projects will receive a boost, with $550,000 available for 60 new projects, in a bid to support home-grown arts activities in regional Australia.  

To read the media release, click here, or for more information on the funding program, go to www.regionalarts.com.au. 

From ABC News Online :

A national report on Indigenous social and economic trends has shown a worsening in the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on child abuse.

The report titled Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage has been released by Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Darwin.

The Productivity Commission's report shows Indigenous children are six times as likely to be abused than non-Indigenous children. Since 2003, this gap has widened from being four times as likely.

The Kuuku Ya'u people have won a native title claim over a remote area on Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. Go here to watch the video at ABC Online.

From ABC Online

The organisation established to oversee the Cape York welfare trials in far north Queensland says it is pleased with changes in Indigenous communities.

The four-year trial started a year ago in the communities of Aurukun, Coen, Hopevale and Mossman Gorge. The Family Responsibilities Commission refers people to support services, or in some cases, manages welfare payments.

Registrar Tammy Sovenyhazi says while it is too early to declare the trials a success, there have been improvements in several areas.  "We are seeing a lot more people coming in voluntarily seeking income management," she said. "That is increasing every other week that we go to community members.

"So that's one measure of the trust in the commission and its ability to function - people feel they can come to the commission to seek voluntary income management."

From ABC Online

The Government says it will begin extensive community consultations today to improve services for refugee settlement.

The consultation process will run from today until mid-August and focuses on services first used by refugees, such as accommodation, health services and counselling.

Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, Laurie Ferguson, says Australia is already ranked in the world's top refugee resettlement countries.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans says there will be more unauthorised people coming to Australia because of regional wars.

Senator Evans says the interception of an asylum seeker boat off Christmas Island yesterday carrying 194 people was disappointing.

Story from ABC News Online:

A new report being released today has found Indigenous Australians are 13 times more likely to end up in jail than the rest of the population.

The Australian National Council on Drugs is urging the federal and state governments to drastically change the way Indigenous people are treated in the criminal justice system.

It says the system is failing to help Indigenous offenders with drug and alcohol problems.

The report found a clear link between drug and alcohol abuse and the over-representation of Indigenous people in jail.