In May 2011 a group of CLC and other NGO workers met to discuss how they could engage in human rights monitoring and extract some of the lessons learned. The group included representatives from People with Disability, YWCA, Aboriginal Legal services, FAIRA, Disability Discrimination Legal Centre (now Australian Centre for Disability law), Kingsford Legal Centre, Women's Legal Service NSW, National Association of Community Legal Centres, and Human Rights Law Centre. While the views expressed in this article are the author's own, I want to acknowledge input from this group particularly.
2.
The first United Nations process in which a coalition of NGOs engaged was the review under ICESCR in 2000.
The Women's Electoral Lobby was active in the 1996 review of Australia under CEDAW but did not work across a broad coalition of NGOs; Australian National University, Table 3: WEL National (WEL Australia) Submissions, 1990–2009', A History of the Women's Electoral Lobby (2010) <http://politicsir.cass.anu.edu.au/wel/tables>.
5.
CEDAW Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 46th Sess, UN Doc CEDAW/C/AUS/CO/7 Recommendation 29.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 77th Sess, UN Doc CERD/C/AUS/Co/15-17 (2–27 August 2010).
8.
Ibid.
9.
Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform and Reinstatement of Racial Discrimination Act) Act 2010 (Cth).
GaerFelice D, Implementing international human rights norms: UN human rights treaty bodies and NGOs (2003) 2 (3) Journal of Human Rights339.
12.
ThomsonMark, ‘Defining the role of non-governmental organizations: Splendid isolation or better use of NGO expertise?’ in Gaer, above n 11.
13.
For example, some NGOs had advocated for compensation for members of the stolen generations, Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families over a period of 80 years. This was one of the issues raised at the review of Australia by ICESCR (2000 and 2009) and CERD (2000, 2005 and 2010).
14.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Attorney-General and Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, ‘Improving the Effectiveness of United Nations Committees’ (Joint Media Release, FA-97, 29 August 2000).
15.
This included Immigrant Women's Speakout, People with Disability Australia, and National Association of Community Legal Centres among others.
16.
Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth).
CodyAnnaPettittAnnie, ‘Our Rights, Our Voices: A Methodology for Engaging Women in Human Rights Discourse’ (2007) 43Just Policy: A Journal of Australian Social Policy86.
19.
The benefit of a snapshot record of the current human rights situation in a country is discussed in Gaer, above n 11.
The Human Rights Law Centre (‘HRLC’) has, since its inception, been a key player in coalitions of NGOs involved in monitoring processes. Its mandate incudes working ‘in coalition with key partners, including community organisations, law firms and barristers, academics and experts, and international and domestic human rights organisations’; Human Rights Law Centre, What we do (2012) <http://hrlc.org.au/about/what-we-do/.
22.
In 2006, 2010 and current preparation for 2015, in the review of CEDAW, separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's reports were written. In 2010 they were managed and guided by an Aboriginal group; YWCA Australia, Koorie Women Mean Business and Indigenous Law Centre UNSW, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Parallel NGO Report (August 2009) <http://www.ywca.org.au/sites/ywca.org.au/files/images/Australian%20ATSI%20Women%27s%20NGO%20Report.pdf>.
23.
1997–2000.
24.
RobinsonMary, ‘Making Human Rights Matter: Eleanor Roosevelt's Time Has Come’ (2003) 16Harvard Human Rights Journal1.
25.
BehrendtLarissa, ‘Indigenous People and Consultation: Exploring Issues of Equality, Effective Representative Government and Democracy’ in Reaching Common Ground: Open Government, Community Consultation and Public Participation Proceedings of the Reaching Common Ground Conference (23–24 October 1996) 103; ConnorDesmond, ‘Editorial: Aboriginal Involvement’ (1994) 22 (2) Constructive Citizen Participation1.
26.
In all three processes, the YWCA was the lead agency which sought funding on behalf of a consortium of NGOs. In each, a separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's report was prepared also. YWCA Australia, Our CEDAW work (2012) <http://www.ywca.org.au/advocacy-policy/our-united-nations-work/cedaw>.
FreemanMarsha A, ‘The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the Role of Civil Society in Implementing International Women's Human Rights Norms’ (2010) 16New England Journal of International & Comparative Law25.
29.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW General Recommendations Nos 19 and 20, adopted at the Eleventh Session, 1992 (contained in Document A/47/38), 11th Sess, UN Doc A/47/38 (1992).
Meetings were held at the Office for Women, Canberra, in October 2010.
36.
The YWCA developed an action plan with key actions which the government had to take in order to implement the concluding observations. This then provides materials for national NGOs to hold the government to account. See YWCA, above n 26.
