UN General Assembly
2000

we recently completed a review of the United Nations human rights committee system, with the objective of improving its effectiveness. The review proceeded from our Government's commitment to the international promotion and protection of human rights, and a firm belief that the United Nations has a central role to play. Australia has a proud human rights record, and we take our international rights and obligations seriously. We are party to both human rights Covenants and to the four conventions. Within Australia, which has a strong civil society, human rights are protected by a range of key civil and political mechanisms, including a strong democratic tradition, our Constitution, an independent judiciary, a free press and wide-ranging anti-discrimination legislation. Internationally, Australia is a strong proponent of the universal application of human rights standards and is committed to continued support for international human rights protection. We are concerned that the committees established to monitor international compliance with human rights treaties are beginning to lose credibility and effectiveness because of the way they operate. It is also important that the international protection system work