Australia appeared before the UN Human Rights Council for its Universal Periodic Review in Geneva on January 20, 2021. The UN review made it clear that the Australian government hasn’t followed through on some of its key past pledges to the UN Human Rights Council. 1/11

“UN member countries rightly criticized Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and questioned why incarceration rates of First Nations peoples remain so high,” said Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch. 2/11

Australia informed this review that it had carried out in full or in part 183 out of 290 recommendations from its 2015 review.
However, more than 40 nations questioned Australia’s policies toward asylum seekers and refugees, from Brazil to Germany, South Korea to the US. 3/11

Australia’s offshore processing and prolonged detention for asylum seekers is problematic. Countries said Australia should place a time limit on detention/provide regular judicial review. Australian officials reiterated their support for “strong border protection” policies. 4/11

“It’s disappointing to see Australia doubling down on policies that have caused immense harm to asylum seekers and are repeatedly condemned by the UN and other governments. While Australia has abandoned its responsibilities, it’s good to see the rest of the world has not.” 5/11

Australia’s continues to fail to reduce the over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise 29% of Australia’s adult prison population, but just 3% of the national population. 6/11

Other concerns raised included the severe inequality experienced by Australia’s First Nations people, and the lack of legal safeguards to protect the rights of journalists, whistleblowers, lawyers, activists, and others making disclosures in the public interest. 7/11

27 countries urged Australia to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, a policy that disproportionately affects Indigenous children. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that countries increase their minimum age to at least 14 years. 8/11

Under international law, federal government is responsible for human rights violations. “The federal government should show leadership w/ its states/territories to change their laws to raise the age of criminal responsibility and comply w/ international standards,” Pearson. 9/11

At the review, countries praised Australia for passing its marriage equality law, and the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), since the last review in 2015. 10/11

The Australian government should seriously address the criticisms of its human rights record and scores of recommendations raised by United Nations member countries, Human Rights Watch said. 11/11