Australia's government is being challenged at the UN over the country's lack of progress in reducing rates of Indigenous incarceration at a UN hearing this week.
Delegates speaks prior to the opening of a session of the Human Rights Council on the Palestinian territories situation on March 23, 2015 in Geneva. Photo: AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI
Australia is to be subject to a Universal Periodic Review hearing at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week.
Sweden and Uruguay have submitted questions in advance for about the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian prisons.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples accounted for 28 percent of the prisoner population in Australia, but just 3.3 percent of the general population.
The Guardian reported Australia's government said it has made "significant achievements in the realisation of human rights" since the previous review in 2015.
It said these included significant investments addressing family and domestic violence, human trafficking and modern slavery, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
As part of its submission, Canberra said Covid-19 was presenting new challenges in the protection of human rights across Australia.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is also concerned about Australia's treatment of indigenous people.
It has cited the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 and asked how Australia's government planned "to work with, and listen to, Indigenous elders and leaders to provide a national voice to parliament for Indigenous people".
Furthermore, Germany wants to know why Australia has delayed a push to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years.