Senator Chris Evans
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs
Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services
Peter Garrett MP
Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Reconciliation and the Arts

The Howard Government has won its battle to delay and stymie the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The vote to adopt the UN Declaration has been deferred for up to another year by a resolution of the General Assembly.

This is the outcome that the Howard Government has been actively campaigning for.

This is not a proud moment for Australia – it confirms what the international community already thinks about our human rights record.

It is sad that the Howard Government has focused on destabilising 24 years worth of important work and consensus-building in the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world.

The Declaration is not legally enforceable, but an aspirational document that sets out ideals and benchmarks for the treatment of Indigenous people.

After being adopted by an overwhelming majority of the Human Rights Council earlier this year, it is awaiting adoption by the General Assembly.

Contact: Tim Friedrich 0417 753 219 (Evans), Andrew Palfreyman 0434 600 577 (Garrett)