This submission was prepared in response to the Australian Government’s draft National Report to the United Nation’s (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS), who are listed in the submission. The UPR offers the Australian Government a unique opportunity to take stock of its progress in the area of human rights and identify areas for improvement. In order to genuinely participate in the UPR process the Australian Government must be completely transparent and open about the reality of human rights promotion and protection. The ATSILS note in this submission that while the current draft of the Australian Government’s National Report (National Report) identifies numerous important human rights developments and issues, there are still significant gaps in the information provided by the Government in relation to critical human rights issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The ATSILS are also concerned about the overly descriptive nature of the National Report and the lack of critical analysis evident within it. The submission argues that the Government has deliberately overlooked many human rights issues it has not adequately addressed over the past four years in an attempt to avoid critical judgement.

Joint ATSILS Response Australian Government draft upr 200810.pdf   (637.62Kb)