Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee’s 34th session was held in New York from 16 January to 3 February 2006,

(ii)

the 34th session examined the Australian Government’s combined fourth and fifth periodic reports on 30 January 2006, and the Australian non-government organisation (NGO) shadow report on the Implementation of CEDAW, prepared by the Women’s Rights Action Network Australia and endorsed by more than 100 organisations, on 23 January 2006,

(iii)

the shadow report acknowledged that there ‘have been clear improvements in the status of women during this reporting cycle’, but a number of challenges remain for women in Australia, particularly in the areas of violence against women, leadership and political participation, law and justice, housing and utilities, health, education, and economic security and employment, and

(iv)

the shadow report makes a number of recommendations in each of these areas, noting changes which must be implemented if CEDAW is to be fully realised in Australia;

(b)

congratulates all those involved in contributing to and compiling the Australian NGO shadow report; and

(c)

calls on the Government to implement the recommendations contained in the shadow report before the Australian Government presents its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports to the CEDAW Committee in 2008.

Question negatived.