Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, Dr Marcos Orellana, at our office in West Perth, during his visit to Australia.

Dr Orellana held meetings in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia to meet with communities and hear their concerns and priorities to address the risks of chemicals and pollution. He also visited a number of sites which had been adversely affected by toxic pollution and hazardous wastes.

His visit to Perth allowed him to meet with groups and individuals from across the state.

He will be presenting a full report on his findings in Australia to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2024.

In a press release, the Special Rapporteur made a particular note of the loss of lives and culture which have resulted from exposure of Indigenous peoples to hazardous pesticides in the Kimberley region and from asbestos exposure in Wittenoom.

“Alignment of regulations with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a critical step in the path towards healing open wounds of past environmental injustices”, Dr Orellana said.

He further welcomed the prospect of a constitutional amendment which would provide for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the subject of a referendum later this year.

Further details on the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Australia can be found at https://www.un.org/en/pacific-unic

ENDS

MEDIA INFORMATION: The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) is the state’s foremost non-profit, non-government conservation organisation representing nearly 100 environmental organisations across Western Australia.  

For more information, visit: ccwa.org.au.

CONTACT: For any enquiries relating to this release, please contact Robert Davies

08 6558 5156 / 0412 272 570 or by email, [email protected]