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/></td> <td> <p style="font-size:1.4em;">United Nations</p> </td> <td> <p> <span style="font-size:2em;">CRC</span>/C/AUS/CO/4</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:2em;">Convention on the Rights of the Child</p> </td> <td> <p>Distr.: General</p> <p>28 August 2012</p> <p>Original: English</p> </td> </tr> </table> <div class="content"> <p style="font-weight:bold;font-size:1.2em;">Committee on the Rights of the Child</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">Sixtieth session</p> <p>29 May 15 June 2012</p> <h2>Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 44 of the Convention</h2> <h3>Concluding observations: Australia</h3> <p>1.The Committee considered the fourth periodic report of Australia (CRC/C/AUS/3-4) at its 1707th and 1708th meetings (see CRC/C/SR.1707 and 1708), held on 4 and 5 June 2012, and adopted, at its 1725th meeting, held on 15 June 2012 (see CRC/C/SR.1725), the following concluding observations.</p> <h2>I.Introduction</h2> <p>2.The Committee welcomes the State party s fourth periodic report (CRC/C/AUS/4), submitted in accordance with the reporting guidelines of the Committee, as well as the written replies to its list of issues (CRC/C/AUS/Q/4/Add.1). The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue with the State party s multisectoral delegation.</p> <p>3.The Committee reminds the State party that the present concluding observations should be read in conjunction with its concluding observations adopted on the State party s initial report under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC/C/OPAC/AUS/CO/1) and under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/AUS/CO/1).</p> <h2>II.Follow-up measures undertaken and progress achieved by the State party</h2> <p>4.The Committee welcomes as positive the adoption of the following legislative measures:</p> <p>(a)The Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011, which requires that prior to being passed all the State party s legislation be subject to a compatibility assessment, with the human rights and freedoms, recognized or declared, in the seven core international human rights instruments to which Australia is party.;</p> <p>(b)The Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2011 (Cth), which prioritizes the safety of children in the family law system while continuing to promote a child s right to have a meaningful relationship with both parents when this is safe; </p> <p>(c)The Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010, which establishes a national quality framework for early childhood education and care.</p> <p>5.The Committee also welcomes the ratification or signature of:</p> <p>(a)The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in 2007;</p> <p>(b)The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in 2009;</p> <p>(c)The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in 2009;</p> <p>(d)The Optional Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in 2009;</p> <p>(e)The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in 2008.</p> <p>6.The Committee also welcomes the following institutional and policy measures: </p> <p>(a)The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, in 2010;</p> <p>(b)The National Framework for Protecting Australian Children 2009-2020, in 2009;</p> <p>(c)The  National Early Childhood Development Strategy in 2009;</p> <p>(d)The creation of the National Youth Forum in 2008;</p> <p>(e)The National Apology to the Stolen Generations regarding the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander children, in 2008 and the National Apology by the Prime Minister to the Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants, in 2009;</p> <p>(f)The National Integrated Strategy for Closing the Gap in Indigenous Disadvantage in 2008.</p> <h2>III.Main areas of concern and recommendations</h2> <h3>A.General measures of implementation (arts. 4, 42 and 44, para. 6, of the Convention)</h3> <h3>The Committee s previous recommendations</h3> <p>7.While welcoming the State party s efforts to implement the concluding observations on its previous report (CRC/C/15/Add.268), it is concerned that some of the recommendations contained therein have not been fully addressed.</p> <p>8.The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to effectively address the recommendations contained in the concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic reports that have yet to be implemented, particularly those on the reservation to article 37(c) of the Convention, legislation, coordination, respect for the views of the child, freedom of association, corporal punishment, and the administration of juvenile justice.</p> <h3>Reservations</h3> <p>9.The Committee regrets that notwithstanding its previous recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.268, para. 8),the State party has not withdrawn its reservation to article 37(c) of the Convention. The Committee reiterates its view (CRC/C/15/Add.268, para. 7) that the State party s reservation to article 37 (c) isunnecessary since there appears to be no contradiction between the logic behind it and the provisions of article 37 (c) of the Convention. The Committee further reiterates its view that the concerns expressed by the State partyin its reservation are well addressed by article 37 (c), which provides that every childdeprived of liberty shall be separated from adults  unless it is considered in the best interests ofthe child not to do so and that the child  shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family .</p> <p>10.<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.268, para. 8), in light of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, that the State party continue and strengthen its efforts towards a full withdrawal of its reservation</span>.</p> <h3>Legislation</h3> <p>11.The Committee notes as positive the State party s efforts to pass several acts of legislation at federal and state level to implement aspects of the Convention. However, the Committee remains concerned that there continues to be no comprehensive child rights Act at the national level giving full and direct effect to the Convention in the State party s national law, and that only two states have passed such legislation. In this context, the Committee further notes that due to the State party´s federal system, the absence of such legislation has resulted in fragmentation and inconsistencies in the implementation of child rights across its territory, with children in similar situations being subject to variations in the fulfilment of their rights depending on the state or territory in which they reside.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">12. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.268, para. 10), that the State party strengthen its efforts in bringing its domestic laws and practice into conformity with the principles and provisions of the Convention, and ensure that effective remedies are consistently available in cases of violation of the rights of the child. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party consider enacting a comprehensive child rights Act at the national level, which fully incorporates the provisions of the Convention and its Optional Protocols and provides clear guidelines for their consistent and direct application throughout the territory of the State party.</p> <h3>Coordination</h3> <p style="font-size:1.3em;">13.The Committee takes note of the State party s submission on its Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs retaining national responsibility for children s rights following its change in government in 2007. However, the Committee remains concerned that the federal system presents practical challenges to the coordination of activities for the consistent implementation of the Convention, resulting in significant disparities in the implementation of the Convention across the State party s states and territories .</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">14. The Committee recommends that the State party consider establishing a technical body or mechanism, with adequate human, technical and financial resources, for advising the Council of Australian Governments on the coherence of the policies and strategies of its entities and ministries responsible for the implementation of the Convention throughout its territory . It also recommends that the Ministry for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs be provided with the specific mandate, capabilities and resources to undertake its coordination responsibilities regarding child rights.</p> <h3>National plan of action</h3> <p>15.While noting the adoption of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, the National Framework for Protecting Australian Children 2009-2020 and the  National Early Childhood Development Strategy , the Committee remains concerned at the absence of a comprehensive national plan of action for implementing the Convention as a whole and the lack of a clear mechanism to link the implementation of these plans.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">16. The Committee recommends that the State party develop and implement a comprehensive strategy, in consultation with children and civil society, for the overall realization of the principles and provisions of the Convention and which can provide a framework for states and territories to adopt similar plans or strategies. The Committee further recommends that the State party allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources for the implementation of this comprehensive strategy and plan of action.</p> <h3>Independent monitoring</h3> <p>17.The Committee appreciates that the State party has Children s Commissioners or independent guardians in all its states and territories. It also welcomes that the State party has introduced legislation for the establishment of a National Children s Commissioner (NCC). However, the Committee is concerned that the resources initially allocated to the NCC are not adequate to ensure the full realization of its mandate, particularly with regards to having effective capacity to fully and promptly address and remedy complaints from or on behalf of children. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned at the inadequacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in the existing children s rights independent monitoring mechanisms and other related institutions.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">18. Taking into account the Committee s general comment No. 2 (2002) on the role of independent national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child and article 4 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party take appropriate measures to ensure that its National Children s Commissioner is provided with adequate human, technical, and financial resources as well as the immunities required for it to effectively function, including with regards to dealing with complaints from or for children in a child-sensitive and expeditious manner. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party consider appointing a Deputy Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children s issues at national and/or state/territory level to ensure the effective monitoring of child rights in those communities.</p> <h3>Allocation of resources</h3> <p>19.Bearing in mind that the State party is one of the most affluent economies of the world and that it invests sizeable amounts of resources in child-related programmes, the Committee notes that the State party does not use a child-specific approach for budget planning and allocationin the national and state/territories level budgets, thus making it practically impossible to identify, monitor, report and evaluate the impact of investments in children and the overall application of the Convention in budgetary terms.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">20. In light of the Committee s recommendations during its day of general discussion in 2007 on  Resources for the Rights of the Child - Responsibility of States and with emphasis on articles 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party establish a budgeting process which adequately takes into account child needs at the national, state and territory levels, with clear allocations to children in the relevant sectors and agencies, as well as specific indicators and a tracking system. In addition, the Committee recommends that the State party establish mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the efficacy, adequacy and equitability of the distribution of resources allocated to the implementation of the Convention. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party define strategic budgetary lines for children in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations that may require affirmative social meas ures (for example, children of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island descent and children with disabilities) and make sure that those budgetary lines are protected even in situations of economic crisis, natural disasters or other emergencies.</p> <h3>Data collection</h3> <p>21.The Committee welcomes the ongoing work of the Australia Bureau of Statistics to improve its collection of data relevant to the implementation of the Convention, especially the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children which focus on the development of children and the context in which it occurs. It also notes as positive the State party s data collection initiatives such as the Australian Early Development Index, and the collation of nationally comparable data on government-fundedservices for persons with disabilities. However, the Committee remains concernedthat these data are not disaggregated nor analysed regarding important areas of the Convention and are sparse or not available, such as on ethnicity, refugee, migrant and internally displaced children, child abuse and neglect and children who are victims of sexual exploitation.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">22. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendation ( CRC/C/15/Add.268, para. 20) that the State party strengthen its existing mechanisms of data collection in order to ensure that data are collected on all areas of the Convention in a way that allows for disa ggregation, inter alia by children in situations that require special protection. In that light, the Committee specifically recommends that the data cover all children below the age of 18 years and pay particular attention to ethnicity, sex, disability, socio-economic status and geographic location.</p> <h3>Dissemination, awareness-raising and training</h3> <p>23.The Committee appreciates the State party s effort to make its reports and those of other treaty bodies available on the website of the Attorney-General, the funding it provides for its National Children s and Youth Law Centre, and, in general, its promotion of human rights education. However, the Committee remains concerned that awareness and knowledge of the Convention continues to be limited amongst children, professionals working with or for children, and the general public.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">24. The Committee recommends that the State party include public education on child rights as a core objective of its proposed National Human Rights Action Plan. The Committee further recommends that the State party consider including mandatory modules on human rights and the Convention in its school curriculum and in training programmes for all professionals working with or for children.</p> <h3>International cooperation</h3> <p>25.The Committee notes as positive the intention of the State party to increase its present level of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.35 per cent to 0.5 per cent of itsgross national income (GNI) in 2016-2017 However, it regrets that, notwithstanding the State party s advanced state of economic development, this level is far below the internationally agreed 0.7 per cent of the GNI to be spent on ODA. The Committee also notes that the State party does not have a specific policy requiring all its ODA programmes to be consistent with a human rights-based approach to development.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">26. The Committee urges the State party to adopt a consistent human rights approach for all its development aid policy and programmes, focussing where possible on child rights, to ensure sustainable development and to guarantee that all recipient countries are able to fulfil their human rights obligations. In doing so, the Committee suggests that the State party include a child rights-based approach to its assistance program me s and take into account the concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the recipient country in question. Furthermore, the Committee urges the State party to accelerate its road map for the achievement of the internationally agreed ODA target of 0.7 per cent of GNI.</p> <h3>Child rights and the business sector</h3> <p>27.The Committee is concerned at reports on Australian mining companies´ participation and complicity in serious violations of human rights in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji, where children have been victims of evictions, land dispossession and killings. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned about reports of child labour and conditions of work of children that are in contravention of international standards in fishing industry enterprises operated by Australian enterprises in Thailand. Furthermore, while acknowledging the existence of a voluntary code of conduct on a sustainable environment by the Australian Mining Council (¨Enduring Values¨), the Committee notes the inadequacy of this in preventing direct and/or indirect human rights violations by Australian mining enterprises.</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">28. In light of Human Rights Council resolutions 8/7 of 7 April 2008 adopting the report ¨Protect, Respect and Remedy¨ Framework and 17/4 of 16 June 2011, in which it is noted that the rights of the child should be included when exploring the relationship between business and human rights, the Committee recommends that the State party:</p> <p style="font-weight:bold;">( a) Examine and adapt its legislative framework (civil, criminal and administrative) to ensure the legal accountability of Australian companies and their subsidiaries regarding abuses to human rights, especially child rights, committed in the territory of the State party or overseas and establish monitoring mechanisms, investigation, and redress of such abuses, with a view to improv