Commissioner gives evidence to Senate Inquiry

Commissioner Elizabeth Fraser appeared before the Commonwealth Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Commonwealth Commissioner for Children and Young People Bill 2010at Parliament House in Canberra on 29 March 2011.

Ms Fraser appeared on behalf of the Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians (ACCG) group, which is a cooperative of all state and territory Children’s Commissioners and Child Guardians.

Ms Fraser informed the Inquiry that the ACCG sees benefit in a national Children’s Commissioner with a national and international focus on rights-based advocacy for children and young people, for example, refugee children.

However, in establishing this new role, Ms Fraser cautioned that it must not jeopardise or weaken existing monitoring and advocacy systems that are already working well in states and territories.

She emphasised that it is important to more clearly define the role, functions and powers of the proposed national Commissioner and the relationship it would have with state and territory Commissioners and Guardians.

“The new role mustn’t create duplication or give rise to unnecessary bureaucracy, which would only divert already scarce resources away from important state and territory oversight roles and mechanisms,” she said.

A transcript of the hearing is not yet available, but will soon be added to the Inquiry website.

Ms Fraser’s opening statement can be viewed here (PDF, 19KB).

 

Last Updated: April 5, 2011

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