AustLit

'The international law of human rights will play a vital role in any domestic dialogue regarding the development of a treaty for indigenous Australia. The international human rights framework established through the United Nations provides a valuable source of human rights standards and jurisprudence that could be used in the discussion about the content of a treaty. These international human rights standards will be useful in relation to many potential areas of negotiation such as the right to equality, an entrenched prohibition of racial discrimination, and issues of resource and access capacity in key areas of concern for indigenous people like education, employment and health. Such standards are even more authoritative considering the developments of the past three decades of an emerging body of international law relating specifically to indigenous peoples.' (Introduction)