The newly appointed Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Jeswynn Yogaratnam is pushing for a Human Rights Act to be implemented as a policy in the Northern Territory. The International Human Rights expert has been working with the Commission to amend reforms to the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 with a shift in reducing discrimination on accommodation status and increased support for domestic violence survivors.
“Most complaints are successfully dealt with through a conciliation process and that very few matters progress to a hearing due to effective conciliation.”
He says the best way forward to relieve discrimination based on race for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to be enshrined into policy and it’s not easy to safeguard these protections because there isn’t a Human Rights Act.
Commissioner Yogaratnam says there is some progress with the current changes to the discrimination act but there is still a long way to go. One reform to come into effect in January 2024 is the complaints representative model. The process will enable complaints to be made on systemic issues such as organisations’ policies that create disadvantages for a group of people. “Most complaints are successfully dealt with through a conciliation process and that very few matters progress to a hearing due to effective conciliation.”
Contact the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission to inquire. Free call 1800 813 846 or antidiscrimination@nt.gov.au