Page 2259 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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welcomes these recommendations. As set out in the government response, we agree with four recommendations and agree in principle with one recommendation.
Two of the auditor’s recommendations directly relate to the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre: that key decision-making documents used by Bimberi should include explicit human rights references; and that the Community Services Directorate should develop an ongoing human rights training program for Bimberi staff in the context of the youth justice environment.
I am pleased to advise the Assembly that all operational staff at Bimberi have now completed the human rights training, except for staff who are away from work on long-term leave. Staff who are on leave will complete the training within a week of their next shift at Bimberi. The Community Services Directorate has committed to updating all key decision-making documents at Bimberi to clearly document the consideration of human rights in making those decisions. The key decision-making documents that will be updated relate to decisions that have significant engagement with a young person’s human rights.
The Auditor-General recommends that the Justice and Community Safety Directorate review and include specific human rights references and considerations in community corrections policies and procedures. We agree with this recommendation. While consideration of human rights is already an important part of the policy development process, ACT Corrective Services will include specific references to human rights considerations in community corrections policies and documents where relevant and appropriate, to provide additional guidance to officers in their day-to-day work.
The Justice and Community Safety Directorate has also agreed to develop and roll out a human rights toolkit for public authorities by June 2020. The toolkit will guide ACT public servants to meet their human rights obligations in decision-making and help them to thoroughly consider human rights when developing laws and policies so that they are compatible with the Human Rights Act. The toolkit will be not only useful for public agencies but also a great resource for anyone who is interested in human rights in the ACT. In rolling out this toolkit, JACS will also assist agencies to improve the documentation of human rights considerations in decision-making.
The ACT government welcomes the recommendation to enhance our annual reporting regarding activities undertaken by agencies to meet human rights obligations. Better reporting will help us continue to measure and monitor our progress in developing a robust human rights culture. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the changes recommended by the Auditor-General with respect to annual reporting have already been adopted and implemented for the coming annual reporting year.
The government response demonstrates the ongoing commitment of this government to leading the way in protecting and upholding human rights. I thank the Auditor-General for his report and commend the government response to the Assembly.
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