News

Reconciliation Australia has released the results of the first major report on the collective impact of the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program and relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians.

The RAP Impact Measurement Report provides important information on where our nation is placed in relation to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians—and what the mood is like in the business, government and community sectors. 

The RAP program was set up five years ago as a simple way for organisations to develop their own actions to improve relationships and generate respect through sustainable employment and business opportunities.  Today more than 1.6 million Australians work or study in an organisation that has a RAP, this includes 11 of Australia’s top 20 businesses.

Key findings include:

• over 280 organisations have a RAP
• 13,397 employment positions filled
• $26 million worth of goods and services purchased from Indigenous businesses
• $9 million for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholarships
• 170,000 people undertaking cultural awareness training.

As the peak body promoting reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians, Reconciliation Australia is pleased to report that RAPs are making a significant and lasting difference.  However the organisation also recognises the need for continuous improvement in the design and implementation of the program.

The report provides comprehensive analysis of the RAP program and examines more than 5,000 commitments the RAP community has made in the name of reconciliation.   Also available is the Reconciliation Australia 2011 Annual Review which highlights some of the other important projects being worked on to help advance reconciliation between the first Australians and the broader Australian community.

Click here to download the RAP Impact Measurement Report

Equality Rights Alliance doesn't endorse or support this competition - but we do think you might be interested to know that there is prize money for hosting your International Women's Day event!

$40,000 in prizes to be won with Women in Focus – Including $5,000 towards hosting an event for International Women’s Day There are 3 fabulous competitions open on www.womeninfocus.com.au offering up to $40,000 in prizes.

Women in Focus is the Commonwealth Bank team dedicated to inspiring, informing and connecting Australian women. It’s free to join, and you don’t need to bank with Commonwealth Bank to enter these competitions!

The $40,000 prize pool includes

• $5,000 towards hosting your own International Women’s Day celebration - Hurry closing soon (closing soon on 5 February)

• A $5,000 trip to volunteer with Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory (closing 5 March)

• 2 trips (combined value of $30,000) to blog from New York fashion week or trekking in Mt. Kilimanjaro (closing 30 March)

Click here for more info

The following media release can also be downloaded from the website of The Hon Wayne Swan MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer. For more information on how to participate in the Federal Budget, please visit our Federal Budget project page.

2012-13 Pre-Budget Submissions

Today I invite Australian families, individuals, businesses and community groups to submit their ideas and priorities for the 2012-13 Budget.

Human rights organisations are welcoming the release of the first ever United Nations (UN) report on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Entitled 'Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity', the report documents widespread discrimination and violence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people around the world.

SMH Thursday 15 December 2012

Kelly Burke

''WOMEN and men might be treated the same at work, but when things really change is when women want to go off and have a child. They will take maternity leave and all of a sudden they are treated differently, as if they don't have the same aspirations or ambitions any more.''

Those words were spoken by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, in 1995.

Speaking as the former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Ms Bryce said many employers still harboured deep misgivings about maternity leave. Maternity leave, she concluded, continued to be viewed differently to other forms of leave in the workplace.

Ms Bryce's observations were made in response to a class action launched by 2400 female employees across Australia against the Commonwealth Bank, over allegations of denied promotions and access to generous retrenchment programs because they were on maternity leave.

The women won their case in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission but the decision was subsequently overturned by the Federal Court in 1997.

Earlier this year, Australia became one of the few remaining developed nations to introduce a paid parental leave scheme, further enshrining in law a woman's right to take time out of work to give birth without having to sacrifice her career. But when it comes to indirect discrimination involving maternity leave, it is not clear how much has really changed since that failed landmark class action against the Commonwealth Bank 14 years ago.

Not a lot, Giri Sivaraman, a principal in employment and industrial law with the legal firm Maurice Blackburn might argue, as he prepares another case against the bank alleging discrimination against an employee over the issue of maternity leave. It is the fifth such case against the bank the firm has handled in as many years.

''It's astounding that one of the big four banks has ignored the law completely,'' he says.

His client, Elly Sugianto, a former finance manager with the Commonwealth Bank, is preparing to launch action against her employer at Fair Work Australia.

Ms Sugianto alleges she was discriminated against after returning to work from maternity leave and being told she was no longer required.

''What made me very angry was they told me to stay at home from now on,'' she says. ''They said 'we're happy for you to catch a cab and go home. It's best you stay at home'.''

Ms Sugianto is expected to seek a six figure compensation package, arguing that the Commonwealth Bank failed to guarantee her position when she went on maternity leave and failed to consult her on plans to make changes to her position. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer must comply with both these requirements by law.

In a prepared statement, the bank declined to directly respond to Ms Sugianto's allegations.

A copy of the bank's parental leave policy was forwarded to the Herald but a spokesman declined to say how many of its employees have launched legal action on the grounds of pregnancy and parental leave discrimination.

The National Rural Women’s Coalition and Network (NWRC), one of the 6 Federally-funded national women’s alliances is seeking to contract a motivated and independent project officer for approximately  four months from January to April-May 2012 to manage the project  Community leadership in primary prevention of violence against women.

This work can be undertaken remotely and those based in rural areas are encouraged to apply

This project is undertaken in collaboration with  Australian Women against Violence Alliance (AWAVA) and the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, CQUniversity (CDFVR).

The project aims to support women from rural, regional and remote Australia to implement strategies identified in the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.

The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (the National Plan) was agreed upon and released by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in February, 2011.

We invite you to circulate this application widely through your networks or to any people that you feel might be  suitable candidates for this position.

Ron Merkel QC from Victoria has been announced as the winner of the 2011 Human Rights Medal at the Australian Human Rights Commission’s annual Human Rights Awards in Sydney today.

Nineteen year old Tshibanda Gracia Ngoy from Berkeley in NSW has been announced as the winner of the Young People’s Human Rights Medal.

On Wednesday 23 November the Senate passed the Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2011,

“The Government takes the issue of addressing and responding to violence very seriously.  Family violence and the fear of family violence remain prevalent in our community and it is unacceptable that this continues to affect our families and our children” Mr Robert McClelland, Attorney General said.

The Government made a number of amendments to the Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2011 in response to recommendations made by the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ report on the Bill, which will improve the effectiveness of the Bill in prioritising the safety of children in parenting matters.

“The Government thanks the Senate Committee for their valuable work which has helped refine the measures in this important legislation, and all those who made submissions during the Senate Committee’s inquiry” Mr McClelland said.

The amendments to the family violence measures of the Bill passed will:

• provide certainty around the commencement date of the provisions of the Bill, and which matters the amendments will apply to,
• simplify drafting of the new provision requiring the court to give greater weight to the protection of children from harm when determining what is ‘in a child’s best interests’, and
• better define what a court can consider in relation to family violence orders as part of considering a child’s best interests.

The Committee’s recommendation for an education campaign about how the amendments will affect separating families has also been accepted by the Government.

The Government supports happy healthy relationships between children and their parents.  As such the Family Law Act will continue to promote a child’s right to a meaningful relationship with both parents where this is safe for the child.

It is the Government’s strong view that all family violence and abuse of children is serious and it is important that the law sends this message clearly.  It is also crucial that resources to help children in need are prioritised so that those children most at risk can be easily identified and helped.

Mr McClelland also welcomed the recommendation made by the Australian Greens that a comprehensive risk assessment framework for family violence and child abuse be explored.

“It is important that professionals in the family law system are able to identify and address family violence and child abuse in the early stages of entering the family law system.

“I am pleased to announce that the Attorney-General’s Department has recently contracted Relationships Australia South Australia to develop a standardised frontline screening process to identify safety risks for clients across the family law system.

“A key aim of this project is to create a shared understanding across all disciplines in the family law system about the predictors of risks to safety, how they can be better identified and how to effectively respond to these risks.

“I welcome the Senate’s passage of this important piece of legislation.  These are significant reforms which will increase protection for children and their families from abuse and family violence” Mr McClelland said.

The Senate Committee’s report is available online at:

www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/family_law_familyviolence/index.htm