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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4771 ..

ADJOURNMENT

Motion (by Mr Humphries) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (7.19): Mr Speaker, I table some documents that I was asked for in question time today. They relate to the consultation process.

MR WOOD (7.19): Mr Speaker, yesterday, 10 December, was Human Rights Day. To celebrate, Amnesty International Australia held a forum at the National Press Club on "A vision of human rights for the year 2000". The goals of the forum were threefold: First, to promote awareness of, and adherence to, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognised human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child; secondly, to provide a public forum where members of the Australian Government and non-government organisations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations Association of Australia could cooperate in making a firm commitment to human rights for all Australians; and, thirdly, to celebrate Human Rights Day.

Over the last few years the Federal Government has contributed to the development of various treaties and their ratification. Successive Foreign Ministers, in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, have set broad agendas and goals. To meet these goals, in line with modern business practice, Amnesty has proposed the setting of performance outcomes in order to achieve challenging and realistic human rights performance outcomes for the year 2000. The forum yesterday was intended to be the first step in a commitment to domestic human rights. Amnesty intends to use each 10 December from now until 2000 as a chance to evaluate progress in achieving these outcomes. Five outcomes have been set. The first four concentrate on aspects of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and they culminate in outcome five - that "human rights and Olympic ideals will leave an enduring legacy for the world".

During the year 2000 the world will be focused on Australia in the approach to the Sydney Olympics. Through an Australian, Dr Evatt, who was President of the General Assembly which drafted the declaration, Australia has been involved in developments since its beginnings. Australia is also party to 192 other international treaties covering many areas such as trade and transport. The benefits of most of these international treaties are obvious. There is also strong evidence that economic and social rights are universal and indivisible. Economic development cannot occur without social development.

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