National Children's Commissioner Bill should be prioritised and passed

On 28 May 2012, the HRLC made a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into the Australian Human Rights Commission Amendment (National Children's Commissioner) Bill 2012. The HRLC warmly welcomes the introduction and strongly supports the enactment of the Bill.

The establishment of a National Children’s Commissioner will help to promote and protect the human rights of children and young people and ensure that the best interests of children are taken into account in the development and review of national law and policy. In so doing, it will be an important institutional mechanism contributing to the domestic implementation ofAustralia’s international human rights obligations, particularly those arising under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

An HRLC media release made following the announcement of the proposed Bill on 29 April 2012 is available here.