Legislate implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Selecting Sign & Send will open a pre-filled email in your email application with the information below for you to sign and send. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the letter and email addresses from below to your own email. Read more about UNDRIP, the 2022 Bill, the Joint Standing Committee Inquiry into the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and their final Report.
Note: Many politician’s email services have auto-replies enabled, so you will get a bunch of auto-responses. These can be deleted.
Email the Prime Minister
Emailing the Prime Minister can only be done via a form online here https://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm
To email the Prime Minister, we recommend:
1. COPY & PASTE the text of the letter, below, into the online form link, above.
2. MODIFY the letter to make it personal (optional).
3. SEND!
LETTER – copy, paste and personalise in your own email or the PM's contact form
Dear Members & Senators,
On 3 April 2009, the Australian Federal Government indicated its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In 2017, as part of the successful bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, the Australian government pledged to "Support the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in both word and deed, including the promotion of the declaration’s principles through national engagement”, which would “draw connections between national activity and the principles of the declaration." On the 2 August 2022, the Senate referred an inquiry into the application of the UNDRIP in Australia, to the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (JSCATSIA). In November 2023, the Committee published its Report which has several commendable recommendations but opts for a policy-based approach and fails to pursue a legislative implementation which is a fundamental principle of international law and recommended by member states of the United Nations.
I support the collective and individual rights of Indigenous Peoples as outlined in the UNDRIP and its objective to defend the survival, dignity and well‐being of Indigenous peoples. I believe the principles underpinning UNDRIP complement the Uluru Statement from the Heart and support Australia meeting its global obligations.
I therefore respectfully request that the Australian Government, with urgency;
1. Enshrines the UNDRIP into domestic law.
2. Progresses an audit of existing laws, policies and practice for compliance with the UNDRIP immediately, starting with those most directly concerning First Peoples and breaching their rights.
3. Commits to follow the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent in legislation, policy and practice.
4. Passes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Bill 2022.
5. Pursues justiciable legal mechanisms to underpin the legislative implementation of the UNDRIP.
6. Incorporates UNDRIP into Closing the Gap implementation plans for each jurisdiction.
7. Enshrines a comprehensive Human Rights Act into Commonwealth law.
8. Invites the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for a country visit to provide expert advice on processes best adopted in the Australian context.
9. Complies with international recommendations as per the 2021 Universal Periodic Review.
10. Progresses the full implementation of the recommendations of the Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and immediately present a timeline for the implementation.
11. Implements the following recommendations from the 2021 report Dhawura Ngilan:
* amend its policy on Indigenous repatriation of cultural materials to align with current governmental practices, working with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and communities to coordinate repatriation approaches
* ‘work with Australian collecting institutions to return ancestors to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in a coordinated way’
* recognise and prioritise the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to access and repatriate secret sacred materials held in Australia, both by institutions and private collectors[1]
[1] Dhawura Ngilan: A vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage in Australia and the Best Practice Standards in Indigenous cultural heritage management and legislation, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, pg 23-24, https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/heritage/publications/dhawura-ngilan-vision-atsi-heritage, viewed 14 November 2023.
Please let me know what action/s you will take to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Australia, thank you.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your email]
MEMBER & SENATOR NAMES
Senator Simon Birmingham, Senator Anthony Chisholm, Senator Dorinda Cox, Senator Patrick Dodson, Senator Donald Farrell, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Senator Katherine Gallagher, Senator Pauline Hanson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator Jacqui Lambie,
Senator Kerrynne Liddle, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Senator Bridget McKenzie, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Senator David Pocock, Senator Janet Rice, Senator Jana Stewart, Senator Lidia Thorpe, Senator David Van, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Murray Watt, Senator Penny Wong, Anne Aly MP, Adam Bandt MP, Christopher Bowen MP, Anthony Burke MP, Linda Burney MP, Mark Butler MP, Jim Chalmers MP, Max Chandler-Mather MP, Kate Chaney MP, Jason Clare MP, Julie Collins MP, Patrick Conroy MP, Zoe Daniel MP, Mark Dreyfus MP, Peter Dutton MP, Andrew Giles MP, Helen Haines MP, Ed Husic MP, Stephen Jones MP, Robert Katter MP, Matt Keogh MP, Catherine King MP, Madeleine King MP, Dai Le MP, Julian Leeser MP, David Littleproud MP, Richard Marles MP, Kristy McBain MP, Daniel Mulino MP, Brendan O’Connor MP, Clare O’Neil MP, Tanya Plibersek MP, Gordon Reid MP, Amanda Rishworth MP, Michelle Rowland MP, Monique Ryan MP, Sophie ScaMP, s MP, Marion Scrymgour MP, Bill Shorten MP, Allegra Spender MP, Zali Steggall MP, Kylea Tink MP, Tim Watts MP, Andrew Wilkie MP
MEMBER & SENATOR EMAIL ADDRESSES – copy & paste into the BCC field of your email
senator.birmingham@aph.gov.au, senator.chisholm@aph.gov.au, senator.cox@aph.gov.au, senator.dodson@aph.gov.au, senator.farrell@aph.gov.au, senator.faruqi@aph.gov.au, senator.katy.gallagher@aph.gov.au, senator.hanson@aph.gov.au, senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au, senator.lambie@aph.gov.au, senator.liddle@aph.gov.au, senator.mccarthy@aph.gov.au, senator.mckenzie@aph.gov.au, senator.nampijinpaprice@aph.gov.au, senator.david.pocock@aph.gov.au, senator.rice@aph.gov.au, senator.stewart@aph.gov.au, senator.thorpe@aph.gov.au, senator.van@aph.gov.au, senator.waters@aph.gov.au, senator.watt@aph.gov.au, senator.wong@aph.gov.au, Anne.Aly.MP@aph.gov.au, Adam.Bandt.MP@aph.gov.au, Chris.Bowen.MP@aph.gov.au, Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au, Linda.Burney.MP@aph.gov.au, Mark.Butler.MP@aph.gov.au, Jim.Chalmers.MP@aph.gov.au, Max.Chandler-Mather.MP@aph.gov.au, Kate.Chaney.MP@aph.gov.au, Jason.Clare.MP@aph.gov.au, Julie.Collins.MP@aph.gov.au, Pat.Conroy.MP@aph.gov.au, Zoe.Daniel.MP@aph.gov.au, Mark.Dreyfus.MP@aph.gov.au, Peter.Dutton.MP@aph.gov.au, Andrew.Giles.MP@aph.gov.au, Helen.Haines.MP@aph.gov.au, Ed.Husic.MP@aph.gov.au, Stephen.Jones.MP@aph.gov.au, Bob.Katter.MP@aph.gov.au, Matt.Keogh.MP@aph.gov.au, Catherine.King.MP@aph.gov.au, Madeleine.King.MP@aph.gov.au, Dai.Le.MP@aph.gov.au, Julian.Leeser.MP@aph.gov.au, David.Littleproud.MP@aph.gov.au, Richard.Marles.MP@aph.gov.au, Kristy.McBain.MP@aph.gov.au, Daniel.Mulino.MP@aph.gov.au, Brendan.Oconnor.MP@aph.gov.au, Clare.Oneil.MP@aph.gov.au, Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au, Gordon.Reid.MP@aph.gov.au, Amanda.Rishworth.MP@aph.gov.au, Michelle.Rowland.MP@aph.gov.au, Monique.Ryan.MP@aph.gov.au, Sophie.Scamps.MP@aph.gov.au, Marion.Scrymgour.MP@aph.gov.au, Bill.Shorten.MP@aph.gov.au, Alegra.Spender.MP@aph.gov.au, Zali.Steggall.MP@aph.gov.au, Kylea.Tink.MP@aph.gov.au, Tim.Watts.MP@aph.gov.au, Andrew.Wilkie.MP@aph.gov.au