Conviction with Compassion: A Report on Freedom of Religion and Belief

List of Recommendations

Chapter 8     Proposals for promoting religious freedom

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government continue to encourage and support the work of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and ensure that the resources with which it is provided allow it to carry out its work in relation to freedom of religion in timely, efficient, effective and appropriate ways.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government table in the Parliament a response to the Recommendations made by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, in its Report Article 18: Freedom of religion and belief.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government coordinate a review of Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation to ensure the maximum degree of domestic protection of freedom of religion, with a view to the introduction of a greater degree of uniformity of human rights law and practice in Australia.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that, based on the detailed recommendations made to this inquiry, the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments examine ways of promoting and extending freedom of religion and belief within their jurisdictions.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government continue to take every opportunity, in both multilateral forums and in its bilateral relationships, to promote the universality and indivisibility of all human rights, specifically the right to freedom of religion and belief.

Recommendation 6

The Committee:

• notes the valuable work done by the United Nations in extending and protecting freedom of religion and belief ;
• calls on the Australian Government to continue its support for the work of the United Nations in this area, and
• further calls on the Australian Government to continue to encourage other nations, in both multilateral forums and as part of its bilateral relationships, to support the United Nations actively in its work of protecting freedom of religion and belief.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government continue its support and funding for the good governance and human rights programs, undertaken by such bodies as the Centre for Democratic Institutions and the Australian Agency for International Development, designed to promote and protect freedom of religion and belief.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the Australian Agency for International Development continue and extend the programs that assist international non-government organisations to protect freedom of religion and belief.

Chapter 10    Cults

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Attorney-General give consideration to the convening of an inter-faith dialogue to formulate a set of minimum standards for the practices of cults.

27 November 2000

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