CRC’s Review of Australia
Ben Schokman
April 2012
www.hrlc.org.au
Overview
• About the periodic reporting process
• Observations on:
• Australia’s fourth periodic report
• Committee’s List of Issues
• Utility of the periodic reporting process?
Purpose of Periodic Reporting
• Promote implementation of the CRC
• CRC art 44(1)
• Report in accordance with the Committee’s
guidelines in a “thorough and timely manner”
Reporting Guidelines
Reports should :
• consider issues of principal concern in a methodical
and informative manner
• contain relevant legislative, judicial, administrative
and other information, including statistical data
• provide information about:
• “factors and difficulties encountered”
• “progress achieved”
• “implementation priorities”
• “specific goals” for the future
Periodic Reporting Process
June 2009 Government’s periodic report
NGO Report
October 2011 Pre-sessional meeting and
List of Issues published
April 2012 Government’s written response
to List of Issues
May 2012 Committee’s review of
Australia and issues
“Concluding Observations”
Lobbying
NGO Addendum
Lobbying
Australian Government’s Report
• Overall, balanced and constructive…
but an opportunity missed?
• Focus on inputs ($$) and listing outputs (such as
“plans”, “programs”, “frameworks”), and not on
outcomes
• Lack of statistical data
• On many issues, there is selective reporting or
non-reporting
• Little focus on challenges, progress, priorities and goals
Committee’s List of Issues
• Issues raised include: legal framework, early
childhood, children’s commissioner, child abuse
and neglect, corporal punishment, children with
disabilities, ATSI children, immigration
detention, juvenile justice
• Further information on data and statistics
• Further information on priorities for
implementation
Utility of the periodic
reporting process?
• To secure the domestic implementation of international
human rights standards
• To use the outcomes of these mechanisms in advocacy
and policy development at the domestic level
• To create a dialogue with government
• To develop knowledge of human rights in Australia
• Human rights education
• Network building
Ultimately…
• Proper test will be follow up and
implementation of the Concluding Observations
• For both Government and for NGOs
• Australia’s (re)engagement with the UN human
rights system and commitment to being a
“principled human rights leader”