7 December 2005
Statement by Human Rights Commissioner and Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM
My statutory five-year appointment as Human Rights Commissioner and Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner comes to an end today. It has been a great privilege and honour to serve Australia and its people in this capacity. I aspired to carry out my tasks with integrity and to the utmost of my abilities - I leave to others, judgement of the degree to which my efforts were successful.
Looking back, it is hard to comprehend how fast the time went. It is also difficult to believe how much has been achieved by Australian civil society during this five-year period.
First, children in immigration detention were put on the national agenda through the establishment of my formal inquiry into their treatment and a major report A last resort? was produced which ultimately, along with the actions of other key members of civil society, resulted in the release of children and their parents from the 'razor wire' detention centres.
The many previous reports of the grave failure in the delivery of Australia's mental health services prompted a joint venture inquiry into the matter, resulting in the report 'Not for service': Experiences of injustice and despair in mental health care in Australia. As a consequence, governments are now promising major improvements in this area.
There were also inquiries dealing with: discrimination in employment against people with disabilities; against people with prior criminal records; a study into what young people know and think about human rights; as well as resolution of 'allowances discrimination' affecting same sex couples in the military. All these projects brought about change for the better.
On taking office, I readily accepted the long-standing 'baton' that involves advocating for an Australian Bill of Rights based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( ICCPR) - this remains civil society's greatest challenge, but its time is yet to come.
The most inspiring aspect of my five-year tenure was my work with broader civil society. I am grateful to the numerous people who gave freely of their time in writing submissions to our inquiries, lobbying for change and whose involvement was so vital in delivering final outcomes.
During my term, I presented more than 300 speeches (including two broadcast nationally at the National Press Club) on a range of human rights issues and participated in countless meetings as part of my deliberate strategy to engage in a human rights dialogue with as many members of the Australian community as possible.
It was also a great privilege to represent Australia internationally and work on human rights issues with politicians, lawyers, teachers and trade unionists - a vast range of dedicated people. I was also fortunate to be surrounded by a team of able and committed staff.
In this final statement as Commissioner, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who has worked with me and who has contributed to our struggle for the betterment of human rights here in Australia and internationally. I certainly intend to stay involved with human rights issues in one way or another.
I believe Australia possesses one of the strongest civil societies in the world, and I intend on using these Australian experiences and models to assist others who are now working on the development of strong democratic institutions in their own countries.
Media contact: Paul Oliver on (02) 9284 9880 or 0408 469 347
Last updated 7 December 2005.
