In this, the 25th anniversary year of Australia's ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the 60th year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I am delighted to provide this package of information to promote and protect women's human rights.
The Australian Government has lodged its combined 6th/7th report on Australia's implementation of CEDAW with the UN. We are proud of the nation's record on women's human rights. Even so, we acknowledge there is more work to be done-especially in meeting the challenges faced by Indigenous women and girls, reducing violence against women, improving women's economic security, and ensuring women have an equal place in society alongside men.
The Government is pleased to support the community sector in producing its independent shadow report. The shadow report not only provides an opportunity for women's organisations to review the Government's achievements, but also to comment on where we need to focus our future efforts. The government also recognises the important role of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner and the Australian Human Rights Commission as the independent statutory authority responsible for monitoring our progress towards gender equality.
On 24 November 2008, the Government demonstrated its commitment to strengthening women's human rights in Australia by taking formal steps towards becoming a party to the CEDAW Optional Protocol. This will provide people living in Australia with an international avenue through which they can seek redress if they believe their rights under CEDAW have been violated. By acceding to the Optional Protocol, the Australian Government is making a powerful statement that discrimination against women in any form is unacceptable and that Australia is serious about promoting gender equality.
I am pleased to launch this education pack on Women's Human Rights produced by the Office for Women, in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission. The pack provides a simple guide to human rights and will, I hope, serve as an invaluable source of information about CEDAW and the Optional Protocol.
Tanya Plibersek
Minister for the Status of Women
December 2008