UN to grill Oz on human rights

Foreign governments will grill Australia on its human rights record at a United Nations meeting this week.

Australian officials will appear before the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday for what's known as a universal periodic review.

All of the UN's 192 member countries are required to undergo a UPR - which aims to probe every aspect of a country's human rights record - every four years.

Advertisement: Story continues below This will be Australia's first time in the hot-seat.

The delegation - led by parliamentary secretary Kate Lundy - will be forced to respond to tough questions on Australia's record during a three-hour interrogation.

Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the UK will pose questions about Australia's treatment of Aborigines, asylum seekers and same-sex couples, UN documents show.

The council will then compile a report on Australia's record, complete with recommendations.

The federal government submitted its own assessment of its record to the council last year, highlighting its efforts to close the life-expectancy gap between indigenous and other Australians.

But a coalition of more than 70 human rights organisations delivered a critical assessment of Australia's record when they briefed foreign diplomats in Geneva earlier this week.

The coalition has made 50 recommendations, most notably the enactment of a national Human Rights Act.

"A comprehensive national Human Rights Act could contribute to the alleviation of poverty and disadvantage and promote a stronger, healthier and more inclusive democracy," Ben Schokman of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre said.

The UN says the ultimate goal of the UPR is "the improvement of the human rights situation in every country with significant consequences for people around the globe".


(2010-1-25/smh)