Media Release
December 16, 2008
Keynote Speech on Human Rights
Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr SC, has delivered the keynote speech at a regional consultation on human rights for Pacific parliamentarians being held in Brisbane this week.
Addressing parliamentary representatives from twelve Pacific nations, Mr Kerr outlined Australia’s commitment to strengthening human rights in the Pacific, emphasising the importance of human rights issues to political, social and economic development in the region.
“Australia’s human rights engagement in the Pacific is an intrinsic part of our new determination to support Pacific nations in their economic and social developmental aspirations,” said Mr Kerr. “That is because we recognise that human rights and development are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.”
Australia supports regional human rights through a range of targeted development assistance programs as well as through initiatives such as formal Human Rights Dialogues with Pacific nations.
“The Australian Government is committed to working with our Pacific neighbours on practical measures to improve human rights standards and its supporting institutional infrastructure across the region. The Government understands that real progress in establishing international human rights norms in the Pacific will only be achieved if we work collaboratively with our neighbours, as equals, to realise shared goals.”
Citing human rights issues from disability discrimination to gender inequality, Mr Kerr underlined the need for the meeting participants to take a leading role in advancing human rights domestically.
“As legislators we play a vital role in shaping both the debate on human rights and the way that debate is ultimately reflected in policy. We as elected parliamentarians ought never to cease promotion of basic human rights like the right to a fair trial, to free speech, and to equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination on grounds of race, gender, disability or religion.”
Topics for discussion at the regional consultation include gender discrimination and violence against women, and Mr Kerr highlighted recent Australian initiatives assisting regional efforts to prevent violence and empower women in the Pacific.
Hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resource Team with support from UNDP, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Amnesty International, the regional consultation covers international human rights conventions and their application to domestic law, policy and practice. Participants include parliamentary representatives from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Nauru, Niue, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
- Full text of the speech: Address to Pacific Human Rights Consultations
Media inquiries: Mr Kerr's office - 02 6277 4991 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555