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eport - Australia Contents Contents Contents..................................................................................................................................................i Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1 List of Contributors...............................................................................................................................4 List of Supporting Organisations........................................................................................................5 Executive Summary..............................................................................................................................8 A. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND GENERAL POLICIES (ARTICLES 1 & 2) .......................18 A.1 Discrimination Law ............................................................................................18 A.2 Special Measures..............................................................................................20 A.3 Australian Human Rights Commission .............................................................21 A.4 Regulating Australian Corporations Overseas..................................................23 A.5 Multicultural Policy ............................................................................................27 A.6 The Durban Review ..........................................................................................28 A.7 Discrimination against Non-Citizens .................................................................29 (a) Citizenship Test 30 B. LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES (ARTICLES 1 & 2).....................................................................31 B.1 The Northern Territory Intervention...................................................................31 (a) Justification and Reactions to the Northern Territory Intervention 32 (b) Northern Territory Intervention Review 33 (c) Consultation with Affected Communities 34 (d) Amendments to the Northern Territory Intervention 35 (e) Special Measures 35 (f) Reinstatement of the Racial Discrimination Act 37 B.2 Aboriginal Representative Body........................................................................37 B.3 Australias Conduct in Intergovernmental Financial Institutions .......................40 B.4 Australian Governments Closing the Gap Policies ..........................................41 C. RACIAL SEGREGATION (ARTICLE 3).........................................................................44 C.1 Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Peoples ..............................................44 (a) Basics Card 44 D. OFFENCES OF RACIAL HATRED (ARTICLE 4)..........................................................47 D.1 Australias Reservations to Article 4(a) .............................................................47 (a) Acts of Racial Hatred 47 (b) Inciting Acts of Racial or Religious Hatred 49 D.2 Vilification of African Communities....................................................................52 D.3 Cyber Racism....................................................................................................54 E. EQUAL TREATMENT IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (ARTICLE 5(a)).......56 E.1 Establishing Race Discrimination in Courts ......................................................56 E.2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples ..................................................57 (a) Policing 57 (b) Aboriginal Legal Assistance 60 (c) Interpreting Services 61 i NGO Report - Australia Contents (d) Transport to Court in Remote Northern Territory Communities 62 E.3 Policing African Communities ...........................................................................64 E.4 Counter-Terrorism Measures............................................................................66 E.5 Migrant and CALD Communities.......................................................................68 F. OTHER CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS (ARTICLE 5(b) (d)) ...................................70 F.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples ..................................................70 (a) Imprisonment 70 (b) Aboriginal Women in Prison 72 (c) Deaths in Custody 73 (d) Mandatory Sentencing 75 (e) Juvenile Justice 77 (f) Native Title 78 (g) Participation in Political Life 79 (h) Freedom of Movement 79 (i) Property Rights 80 (j) Nuclear Waste Sites 81 F.2 Indian Communities ..........................................................................................84 F.3 International Students .......................................................................................85 F.4 Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Non-Citizens ..................................................87 (a) Mandatory Immigration Detention 88 (b) Excision from the Migration Zone 90 (c) Suspension of Asylum Claims 92 (d) Refoulement of Non-Citizens 95 (e) Stateless People 98 (f) Deportation of Long Term Residents 100 F.5 Counter-Terrorism...........................................................................................102 (a) Border Security and the Right to Privacy 102 (b) Proscription of Organisations and Freedom of Association 103 F.6 Muslim Women................................................................................................105 G. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS (ARTICLE 5(e)) ............................108 G.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples ................................................108 (a) Education 108 (b) Health 110 (c) Access to Water 113 (d) Access to Food 114 (e) Social Security 115 (f) Housing and Homelessness 115 (g) Work Rights 117 (h) Stolen Wages 119 G.2 International Students .....................................................................................121 (a) Employment 122 (b) Housing 123 (c) Education 124 G.3 African Communities Employment...............................................................125 G.4 Refugees and Asylum Seekers.......................................................................125 ii NGO Report - Australia Contents (a) Health in Immigration Detention 125 (b) Work Rights 126 (c) Social Security 127 G.5 Migrant and CALD Communities.....................................................................128 (a) Aged Care Services 128 (b) Young People 129 H. ACCESS TO PUBLIC SPACES (ARTICLE 5(f)) .........................................................131 H.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples ................................................131 H.2 African Communities .......................................................................................134 I. EFFECTIVE REMEDIES (ARTICLE 6)........................................................................136 I.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples ................................................136 (a) Northern Territory Intervention 136 (b) Stolen Generations 136 (c) Stolen Wages 137 (d) Native Title 137 I.2 Australian Human Rights Commission ...........................................................138 J. EDUCATION TO COMBAT PREJUDICES AND PROMOTE TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING (ARTICLE 7)................................................................................139 J.1 Primary and Secondary Human Rights Education..........................................139 K. DOMESTIC IMPLEMENTATION OF CERD VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (ARTICLE 14)...............................................................................................................142 Appendix: Proposed Recommendations for Concluding Observations.....................................144 Glossary.............................................................................................................................................156 iii NGO Report - Australia Introduction Introduction ABOUT THIS SUBMISSION 1. This submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the CERD Committee) has been prepared by a coalition of non-government organisations (NGOs) from across Australia. The principal authors of this submission are Emily Howie of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre1 and Louise Edwards of the National Association of Community Legal Centres.2 2. The submission was prepared with substantial input and guidance from