August 2009 Prepared by Koorie Women Mean Business and Indigenous Law Centre UNSW, with YWCA Australia 2 Foreword We are proud to provide the United Nations with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Parallel NGO Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It is a great privilege to submit this report on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. In the foreword to Women in Australia, Australia's combined 6th and 7th report to the United Nations on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) (Australian Government Report), the Australian Government acknowledged that despite its commitment to supporting women and men to participate equally in paid work, family and community life: …there are ongoing challenges regarding the full implementation of CEDAW, including meeting the challenges faced by Indigenous women and girls. The ongoing challenges faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls, including racism, inequality, violence, health and housing problems, limited opportunities and economic disadvantage, are given voice in this report. Koorie Women Mean Business Indigenous Law Centre, University of New South Wales with YWCA Australia 3 1. Contents 1. CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................4 2. ENDORSEMENTS ..................................................................................................................7 3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .........................................................................................................8 4. OUR RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................9 5. METHODS: CONSULTATION AND FEEDBACK FROM ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER WOMEN AND NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS. ........................13 6. TERMS USED IN THIS REPORT .........................................................................................13 7. BACKGROUND INFORMATION..........................................................................................14 ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER POPULATION.............................................................14 TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER WOMEN..............................................................................................14 8. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................15 9. CEDAW COMMITTEE CONCLUDING COMMENTS 2006..................................................16 10. ARTICLES 1 TO 3: DEFINITION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, OBLIGATIONS TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION, THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN, AND ACCELERATION OF EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN........................................................................................................................................18 CEDAW COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES IN 2006 AND AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE .................................................................................................................................18 POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ...........................................................................................................18 Formal Apology....................................................................................................................18 Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage......................................................................19 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples................................................................19 Ratification of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW..................................................................20 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLES 1-3..............................................................................21 Entrenchment of human rights protections..........................................................................21 Stolen Generations ..............................................................................................................21 Eliminating discrimination ....................................................................................................22 Disaggregated data..............................................................................................................23 Lack of engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s issues into policy framework ............................................................................................................................23 Northern Territory Intervention.............................................................................................24 11. ARTICLE 4: ACCELERATION OF EQUALITY (TEMPORARY SPECIAL MEASURES)..29 CEDAW COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES IN 2006 .................................................29 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE 4...................................................................................29 Introduction of a minimum quota for parliamentary representation .....................................29 Recruitment of women into key employment areas.............................................................29 12. ARTICLE 5: SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPING..............................................................30 13. ARTICLE 7: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ..............................................................................30 CEDAW COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES IN 2006 .................................................30 POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ...........................................................................................................30 Indigenous Leadership Women’s program..........................................................................30 Consultations about a new national Indigenous representative body .................................30 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE 7...................................................................................30 National Indigenous Representative Body...........................................................................31 Lack of consultation with women in the Northern Territory Intervention..............................32 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women at all levels of public and political participation .............................................................................................................................................32 4 14. ARTICLE 8: INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION ..............................................................34 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE 8...................................................................................34 Effect of abolition of ATSIC on opportunities for international participation ........................34 15. ARTICLE 10: EDUCATION .................................................................................................35 CEDAW COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES IN 2006 .................................................35 POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ...........................................................................................................35 Closing the gap targets........................................................................................................35 Student retention rates.........................................................................................................35 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE 10.................................................................................36 Reading, writing and numeracy figures ...............................................................................36 School enrolment and attendance .......................................................................................36 Culturally appropriate schools and ways of teaching ..........................................................37 Extinction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.............................................38 Early childhood ....................................................................................................................38 Young mothers.....................................................................................................................38 Extreme racism in schools and other educational institutions.............................................39 Post-school education..........................................................................................................39 Barriers to continuing education ..........................................................................................39 Transition to higher education..............................................................................................39 Vocational training and transition to work............................................................................40 16. ARTICLE 11: EMPLOYMENT/WORK.................................................................................42 CEDAW COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF THESE ISSUES IN 2006 .................................................42 POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS ...........................................................................................................42 Small rise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment rate...................................42 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING ARTICLE 11.................................................................................43