2000 Annual General Meetings
PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOVEMBER 2000
The past year has been a particularly active one on the policy front for the National Committee. DCI-A has taken prominent and
child-rights focussed positions in debates concerning:
- Mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and Western Australia
- Access to assisted reproductive technologies
- The minimum age of children’s criminal responsibility in New South Wales
- The recognition of same-sex relationships in Tasmania and Victoria
- “Boot camps” for young offenders in Queensland
- The treatment of asylum seekers
- Children with a parent in prison
- The end to the use of child soldiers
- The improvement of community-based corrections in Victoria
- The Commonwealth Government’s defensive response to UN Committee criticisms
In addition to participation in numerous working groups and correspondence and meetings with senior officials and political representatives
over the past 12 months, major submissions were formulated and sent to:
- The UN Human Rights Committee (joint submission with the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre)
- The Senate Inquiry into the Human Rights (Mandatory Sentencing of Juvenile Offenders) Bill 1999 (joint submission with the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre)
- The Criminal Law Review Division of the NSW Attorney General’s Department
- The Community Corrections Review – Victoria (joint submission with the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre)
- The Inquiry into Legal Recognition of Significant Personal Relationships, House of Assembly, Community Development Committee, Parliament of Tasmania.
The process of settling these policy documents within pressing timelines has been a demanding one for a truly National Committee and I thank each of them for making that task
a priority when it has been required.
Our various stances have been made widely known through frequent media coverage, postings on the website http://members.dynamite.com.au/dci-aust/, e-mail outs and our
quarterly newsletter Australian Children’s Rights News. Particular thanks are due to our volunteer webmaster, Mr. Chris Cody of webenter for his cheerful (and often late-night)
dedication to keeping the site current and accurate and his interest in developing new electronic services.
Appreciation is also due to all the national office volunteers, especially Penny Cohen, co-editor of Australian Children’s Rights News, who skillfully synthesises volumes of international information to keep readers abreast of current developments.
I would also wish to acknowledge the National Committee members, Advisory Panel Members and the general members/affiliates who contribute articles to Australian
Children’s Rights News. Without their generosity, each edition would not be as rich, diverse and indeed large as it is.
At the last AGM, DCI-A launched its Australian Children’s Rights Media Awards and I am pleased that we will today be announcing two winners determined by our judging
panel June Wangmann, Quentin Bryce, Adele Horin, Justice Richard Chisholm. I would like to thank them for their contribution and particularly recognise June Wangmann’s co-ordination role
in that process.
Unfortunately, our patron Phillip Adams, has had to send his apologies today and cannot be with us for the announcement of the award he has sponsored for an outstanding item
covering Indigenous children’s rights.
Similarly, our National Co-ordinator and founder of the Australian Section of DCI cannot be with us because she is currently assisting in the running and reconfiguration of
the Geneva Secretariat of DCI. Helen has graciously sponsored the second award that will be announced today and we thank her for this significant contribution.
Helen’s unexpected departure in early October added degrees of difficulty to the administrative operation of our organisation and the National Office. We have been
fortunate to have dedicated volunteers in our financial matters and I would pay tribute to Helen Mattick who has kept our books ticking over and to Sophia Cason who joined the National Committee to
take on the unpopular role of Treasurer. DCI-A is now applying to the Australian Tax Office for endorsement both as a Deductible Gift Recipient and as an Income Exempt Charity. These
endorsements would make a significant capacity to DCI-A’s capacity to attract the donations which are essential complements to our membership/affiliation and subscription fees.
Danny Sandor
1999-2000 President
DCI-Australia
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