REPORTING ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CRC IN AUSTRALIA

Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. This means that since then our government has had to make sure that every child in Australia has every right in the convention. The government has to regularly report to a panel of independent experts to tell them about the progress they’ve made towards making sure that children’s rights are being met.

Compliance with the CRC is monitored by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, based in Geneva. Governments who are party to the CRC must report every five years to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on what they are doing to ensure that children's rights are being met. The Australian Government submitted its fourth report in June 2009.

UNICEF Australia and the National Children's and Youth Law Centre (NCYLC) co-convene the Child Rights Taskforce, a coalition of national organisations committed to the development of child rights, and responsible for the preparation and presentation of the Non Government Organisation (NG0) Report to the United Nations Child Rights Committee on Australia’s implementation of the CRC. Work on the next NGO report is currently underway. Click here to see a copy of the last NGO Report.

If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the Child Rights Taskforce and its work, please contact UNICEF Australia on 02 9261 2811.