On 24 November 2008, Australia’s Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women jointly reported that the national government acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A party to CEDAW since its 1983 adoption, Australia’s accession to the Optional Protocol will enter into force sometime before International Women’s Day on 8 March 2009. The Optional Protocol allows people to file complaints with the United Nations against Australia for alleged CEDAW violations after exhausting domestic legal remedies. Attorney-General Robert Mr McClelland said that "Becoming party to the Optional Protocol demonstrates our commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of women, both at home and abroad.”
For full text of the joint press release, please click here.
Compiled from: Attorney-General of Australia, Joint Media Release: Australia Comes in From the Cold on Women’s Rights (24 November 2008).