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China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation (HRTC) Program

Briefing paper for Australian agencies

HRTC 2014 – 2015 Activity 4.2 Training on Disability and Human Rights

Sydney 21-25 February 2015

1 Australian Human Rights Commission ...................................... 2

2 China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program ........................................................................................ 3

3 China in brief ................................................................................ 4

3.1 Geography, population and economy ...................................................... 4

3.2 Government and State ............................................................................... 5

3.3 China’s world view ..................................................................................... 7

3.4 China-Australia relationship...................................................................... 8 3.5 Human rights in China ............................................................................... 8

4 China Disabled Person’s Federation ........................................ 10

5 Provincial Disabled Persons Associations .............................. 10

6 Training Visit on Disability and Human Rights ........................ 11

7 Activity protocol ......................................................................... 13

8 Contact at the Commission ....................................................... 15

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1 Australian Human Rights Commission

The Australian Human Rights Commission was established in 1986 by an Act of the Australian Federal Parliament, the Australian Human Rights Commission Act. The goal of the Commission is to foster greater understanding of human rights in Australia and to address the human rights concerns of a broad range of individuals and groups. Although independent from the Executive Branch of government the Commission reports to Parliament through the Attorney-General.

Structure

The Commission is a collegiate body made up of a President and a team of Commissioners. Our current President is Professor Gillian Triggs.

Responsibilities

The Commission’s responsibilities fall into four main areas. These are:

promoting public awareness and education

mediating discrimination and human rights complaints

facilitating human rights compliance

participating in policy and legislative development

The Commission has specific responsibilities under the following Australian legislation:

Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986

Age Discrimination Act 2004

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Sex Discrimination Act 1984

Racial Discrimination Act 1975

Native Title Act 1993

Fair Work Act 2009 In order to fulfil its responsibilities, the Commission:

develops human rights education programs and resources for schools, workplaces and the community

undertakes and coordinates research into human rights and discrimination issues

provides advice and assistance to parliaments and governments to develop laws, programs and policies

provides independent advice to assist courts in cases that involve human rights principles

holds public inquiries into human rights issues of national importance

resolves complaints of discrimination or breaches of human rights under Australian laws

The Commission also works closely with other State and Territory human rights institutions and cooperates with those institutions in national human rights initiatives.

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International role

The Commission is a domestic Australian agency largely concerned with the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia, however, it does have a role to play in the international community.

The Commission participates actively in international human rights fora and formal UN processes. These include participation in the UN Human Rights Council and other bodies established under the human rights treaties to which Australia is a party. The Commission is also a regional representative to the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions and was one of the founding members of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.

The Commission is recognised as an ‘A Status’ National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) and is widely seen as a viable model for other countries seeking to establish a NHRI or to strengthen existing institutions. Through the Asia Pacific Forum and through direct bilateral arrangements the Commission seeks to cooperate with other countries that wish to develop similar expertise.

2 China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program

The China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (HRTC) started in 1998 as a result of the first Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue (HRD) in August 1997. It is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), implemented by the Australian Human Rights Commission, and coordinated in China by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The goal of the Program is to build commitment of the People’s Republic of China Government to apply human rights principles and practices in a rapidly changing context. The objective of the program is that Australian and Chinese agencies will collaborate on key Chinese-identified priorities for human rights reform; developing relationships, trust and influence over time.

Four key delivery strategies are used in the program’s implementation to create the changes expected in support of achieving the objective and overall goal of the HRTC. The strategies are:

1. Progressive engagement at different levels between the Commission, Chinese partners and Australian Contributors;

2. Building networks and coalitions of leaders to help facilitate a critical mass of interest and commitment on reform issues by different stakeholder groups;

3. Advocacy and messaging on human rights to expand knowledge, provoke new ideas and broaden thinking and discussion on priority reform areas and issues;

4. Drawing on the specific expertise and experience of Australia’s National Human Rights Institution, given its independence and ability to provide specific insights and fulfil a unique role.

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Each activity will draw on one or more of the above strategies and is designed and implemented through a cooperative venture between the Commission and a particular Chinese organisation (including government, semi-government and non-government organisations). The Commission works directly with the Chinese counterpart agencies and with Australian specialist agencies and individuals that participate in particular activities.

The activities are small scale and generally of relatively short duration. While the Program as a whole is intended to have a long-term impact across Chinese society, each activity focuses on a sectoral area where it is possible to have more direct outcomes in relation to a specific aspect of human rights in China. The design of the Program recognises that outcomes are likely to be modest and that substantial change is likely to come slowly.

To date more than 220 activities in more than 35 sector specific areas have been implemented. These have included, for example:

long term awards for Chinese officials to undertake postgraduate studies in human rights-related fields at Australian universities;

training of Chinese officials in the reporting requirements of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

working with Chinese prosecution officials in reform of criminal procedures, including procedures for dealing with juvenile offenders;

supporting the development of human rights curriculum for China’s National Judicial College;

working with the Supreme People’s Court on reform of the rules of evidence;

training Chinese correctional officials in international human rights standards for treatment of prisoners.

The entire Program is fundamentally underpinned by the view that by working together and by exchanging views and approaches, the most effective elements of human rights protection, promotion and administration will develop and prosper.

3 China in brief

3.1 Geography, population and economy

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is roughly the same physical size as Australia and like Australia a large part of it is inhospitable with desert and mountain featuring prominently in Chinese landscapes. At the same time the eastern one-third of China is highly fertile and the southeast is well watered. The climate varies significantly from sub-tropical in the south to Arctic in the north.

China is home to more than 1.3 billion people—about 65 times as many people as Australia and about 20 per cent of the world’s population. The population is ethnically homogeneous, being 92 per cent Han Chinese. The 55 minorities that make up the remaining 8 per cent of the population number over 100 million. Standard Mandarin is the official language. It is based on Putonghua, the dialect and accent originally used around Beijing. Cantonese, the main language spoken south of the Yangtze

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River, is the same language as Mandarin but the accent is so different that Mandarin and Cantonese speakers cannot understand each other. Both however can read the same books and newspapers. There are also innumerable minority languages and most Chinese speak at least two languages: Mandarin or Cantonese and the language of their home region. The younger generation (and much of the urban older generation) also speaks English as it is now taught routinely in schools.

In the foreseeable future – perhaps in this decade – China will replace the United States as the world's largest economy in purchasing power terms. China is by far the world’s largest producer of food, being number one in production of many grains and other staples. While it is known for the mass production of cheap consumer goods its manufacturing technology is being consistently upgraded and China is rapidly becoming a major producer of sophisticated manufactured products.

3.2 Government and State

Government structure China is ruled by the Communist Party of China, whose power is enshrined in China's constitution. The Chinese governance structure is distinctly different to Australia’s governance structure. In Australia, political parties are merely private organisations with no constitutional status. In China, the Communist Party is at the apex and the State beneath. Thus all the instrumentalities of State administration and governance are subject to the policies of the Communist Party. There are four tiers of government in China – the Central Government, Provincial Level, Prefecture Level and County Level. The Central Government is comprised of two vertically integrated and interlocked institutions: the Communist Party and its Standing Committee (headed by the President); and the State Council (headed by the Premier) which is also referred to as the State Government or a de-facto Cabinet. The Communist Party has more than 70 million members who every five years elect around 3000 delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC). The NPC is the highest organ of the State and is effectively China’s Parliament. The NPC meets each year, usually in March to receive reports, elect senior officials and pass legislation. There is little debate but dissent is sometimes shown when legislation or reports do not receive the customary near unanimous consent. During the remainder of the year it is the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), the permanent body of the NPC that wields much of the political power. In practice, it is this body that exercises the legislative power of the State. It has the power to amend the Constitution1 and to supervise the enforcement of the Constitution.2

1 The current Constitution was promulgated by the NPC in 1982. It has since been amended four times - in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004 2 This is rarely done in practice

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The State Council is at the top of the administrative structure and functions much as the Cabinet does in Australia. It is responsible for carrying out the policy of the Communist Party and implementing the legislation passed by the NPC. The Executive organs (Ministries and Departments) report to the State Council through their Ministers. The current government The current Head of State is the President Mr Xi Jinping and the Head of Government is the Premier Mr Li Keqiang. They were elected following the Party Congress in March 2013. The election of the new leadership in 2013 was greeted with much optimism, particularly with regards to President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption stance, proclamation of the importance of the rule of law, and focus on economic reform. However, reports state that the initial optimism has slowed due to a lack of substantive political and judicial reform, increased censorship (of both the media and public intellectuals), and concerns about increased harassment of human rights advocates.3 The Chinese generally demonstrate deep respect for their leaders and senior government figures, who are not seen as politicians in the western sense, but more as respected leaders who represent China as a nation rather than merely representing a political party. However, the economic reforms that have helped shape China into the world’s second-biggest economy, have also bred a growing middle class that now holds greater consumer power, high levels of education, and has the potential to make more political demands.4

Non-government organisations

Non-government organisations in China can generally be divided into two categories: government sponsored mass organisations and not for profit organisations. Government sponsored NGOS are very closely linked to the Communist Party and senior officials of these NGOs also hold senior positions in the party and the government. While they do not publicly advocate against government, they are often quite effective in bringing about change to benefit their members. The membership of the mass organisations is enormous with some having upwards of 100 million members.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of not for profit organisations (NPOs). Management of the emerging civil society sector by Communist Party and state agencies remains restrictive but also is unable to keep up with the growth of civil

3 Cheng Li and Ryan McElveen, ‘Can Xi's Governing Strategy Succeed?’, 26 September 2013, Brookings Institution, Washington DC, viewed October 2013 at http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2013/09/26-xi-jinping-china-governing-strategy-li-mcelveen 4 Cheng Li and Ryan McElveen, ‘Can Xi's Governing Strategy Succeed?’, 26 September 2013, Brookings Institution, Washington DC, viewed October 2013 at http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2013/09/26-xi-jinping-china-governing-strategy-li-mcelveen

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society. Although NPOs must tread warily, their area of operation and their freedom to operate seems to be expanding.

The Government has made significant commitments to reform civil society, including reducing barriers to registration by the end of 2013. At present NGOs must be formally registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and also sponsored by a ministry or other government organ – the reforms will enable NGOs to directly register with the civil affairs authorities without a sponsoring agency. The Government is also focused on further contracting social services to civil society; building programs and platforms to coordinate and support civil society organisations; and creating more detailed regulations and standards to guide the development of the sector. However, there has been criticism that the reforms are targeted at certain categories of organisations such as social service providers and economic and trade associations, while excluding organisations engaged in advocacy, ethnic minority affairs, religion and other sensitive areas. 5

3.3 China’s world view

Many Chinese are of the view that China is the world’s natural leader. Not only is it the most populous nation, it has a very lengthy and sophisticated history of global leadership. There is a strong belief that due to a failure of leadership and ruthless exploitation by some western countries China went through a period of turmoil in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is just now recovering from that turmoil. Over time they expect that China will resume its customary leadership position. Educated Chinese generally recognise that during China’s period of turmoil the rest of the world modernised and advanced beyond China in many areas. Thus in order to modernise China still needs to access “the best of the rest”. In order to build a modern China it must at least understand the rest of the world. It need not necessarily adopt foreign methods but in order to be certain that it is taking the right path it must appreciate what options are available. Since 1979 China has undergone profound change. The reform and opening program has resulted in unprecedented economic growth and resultant increases in personal prosperity. There are very serious issues about the distribution of the new found wealth with the most visible beneficiaries being the east coast urban elite. The mal-distribution of wealth is well recognised by the government and there are numerous programs aimed at developing the west of the country and redistributing wealth to the rural areas. Although global leadership certainly includes economic leadership, it also extends to moral and cultural leadership. Many Chinese recognise that the State’s moral position is often compromised by capricious, irresponsible or unregulated decision making by government. This has a negative economic impact and also reflects poorly on the Chinese people. It is clearly contrary to achieving the global leadership role that China seeks to assume.

5 The International Center for Non Profit Law, ‘NGO Law Monitor: China’, 16 September 2013, viewed November 2013 at http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/china.html

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China’s desire for reform in these areas provides an impetus for programs such as the HRTC. The HRTC Program seeks to enable and facilitate China’s development of the mechanisms – the policy and the process – for the promotion, protection and administration of human rights.

3.4 China-Australia relationship

In December 2012, Australia and China marked 40 years of diplomatic relations. Over the years the relationship between the two countries has had ups and downs but it is currently very healthy. There is now substantial engagement across most sectors including defence, crime, economic policy, tourism, and education. The extensive bilateral relationship is based on strong economic and trade complementarities and a shared common interest in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. China is now Australia's largest two-way trading partner in goods and services (valued at A$125.1 billion in 2012), our largest export destination (A$78.7 billion in 2012), and our largest source of imports (A$46.3 billion in 2012).6 The relationship between Australia and China benefits from the fact that the two economies are largely complementary. Chinese leaders now visit Australia regularly. President Hu Jintao visited Australia in 2007, Vice President Xi Jinping visited in June 2010, and Vice Premier Li Keqiang visited in October 2009. Former Premier Wen Jiabao last visited Australia in April 2006. Senior Australian ministers visit China regularly. The last Prime Ministerial visit to China was by Tony Abbott in April 2014. In April 2013, Australian and Chinese leaders committed to new consultative arrangements to guide the future of the relationship. These included annual leaders’-level meetings, as well as annual ministerial-level meetings on foreign, strategic and economic issues.

3.5 Human rights in China

In a rapidly changing environment in China, there have been encouraging signs of reform towards adoption of human rights principles. Relevant changes domestically include increasing government capacity and interest in deeper engagement on human rights; and internationally include the opportunities to nurture reform created by changes such as the Universal Periodic Review. Many steps towards reform are, however, incremental and their longevity may be uncertain. China continues to view human rights in strongly aspirational rather than legal terms—whereby ‘universal’ human rights are goals to be attained on the path to

6 Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, People's Republic of China country brief, viewed October 2013 at http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/china/china_brief.html

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development rather than binding legal obligations and collective socio-economic rights are prioritised over individual civil and political rights.7 In formal terms, China has opted into the international human rights frameworks by signing up to a range of human rights treaties. These include:

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD)

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

China has signed but not yet ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) despite significant international pressure to do so. In June 2012, the Chinese government issued its second National Human Rights Action Plan (2012–2015). This contained language about improving protection of civil and political rights, however it has been criticised for lacking detailed benchmarks or implementation plans.8 Recent reports by international human rights organisations9 generally provide a discouraging view of human rights developments particularly with regards to:

arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of political activists and human rights defenders

rule of law and access to justice

the use of the death penalty—China reportedly has the highest rate of execution globally

censorship of the media and of public intellectuals

treatment of ethnic minority groups—the Tibetans and Uighurs

women’s reproductive rights (which remain curtailed under China’s family planning regulations) and access to reproductive health

land seizures and forced evictions (often in the name of economic development)

freedom of religion—religious practices continue to be restricted to officially approved institutions

discrimination the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

7 Sceats S, Breslin S, ‘China and the International Human Rights System’, Chatham House (The Royal Institute for International Affairs), London, October 2012, p.2 8 See for example UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 2012 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, China, para 4, viewed October 2013 at http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/human-rights-in-countries-of-concern/china/, 9 See for example Human Rights Watch, China World Report 2013, viewed October 2013 at http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/china; and Amnesty International USA, Annual Report: China 2013, viewed October 2013 at http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/annual-report-china-2013

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Human Rights Watch has stated that large parts of the legal community continue to be a force for change, spurred on by increasing popular legal awareness and activism; and that citizens are increasingly prepared to challenge authorities over livelihood issues and economic inequalities.10

4 China Disabled Person’s Federation

Established in 1988, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) is a semi-government mass organization representing the interests of China’s 83 million persons with a disability11. Based in Beijing, CDPF has a nationwide umbrella network of branches across the country from provincial down to local level and employs approximately 80,000 full-time workers. In addition to its central office and branches, the CDPF also has a large number of affiliated organisations. These include support services, research institutes, Braille libraries and agencies that specialise in particular areas of disability.

CDPF performs three major functions:

1. Represents the interests of people with a disability in China and help protect their legitimate rights;

2. Provides comprehensive and effective services to people with a disability; and 3. As commissioned by the Chinese government, supervises affairs relating to

people with a disability in China.

CDPF notes that it is committed to promoting the rights of people with a disability and promoting the integration of people with a disability in all aspects of life.

Previous activities with the CDPF have included a Disability Rights Visit to Australia (2013-2014) and a Seminar on CRPD implementation (2013-2014). A workshop on Capacity Building for Disabled Person’s Associations (2014-2015) also took place last year, providing introductory information about human rights and the CRPD to almost 400 representatives of ‘Provincial Disabled Persons Associations’ across China. The present training visit is a follow-up activity that builds on outcomes from this workshop.

5 Provincial Disabled Persons Associations

At the provincial level, there are five categories of associations with whom CDPF works to advance the rights of people with a disability – these are the visually impaired association, deaf association, physical disability association, intellectual disability association and mental illness and family members association.

The size of these associations can vary from 6 to 80 full-time and part-time staff. They also usually have a wider pool of unpaid volunteers. A significant percentage of the staff and volunteers are people with disability themselves or their relatives.

10 Human Rights Watch, China World Report 2013, viewed October 2013 at http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/china, 11 Statistic provided by CDPF.

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The associations are responsible for representing the rights of people with disabilities or people with specific disabilities in their province. Activities conducted by the associations may include: advocating for people with disability, research and recommendations to government, organising recreational activities, service provision, provision of financial support, promoting accessibility, employment and education, and undertaking projects.

Chairs of these associations are typically people with a disability themselves and elected to the position to advocate for their constituents, often with local government. There is a tiered structure of these associations through China with representation at the provincial level, the prefecture level and county level, totalling some 15,000 associations across the country. The Chairs are part-time, unpaid positions, and often holders of these positions do not have formal qualifications, relying on their personal experience to guide them through the system. As such, this group has been identified by CDPF as requiring capacity building to enhance their skills as advocates and leaders.

6 Training Visit on Disability and Human Rights

The objective of this activity is to build the human rights and technical capacity of leaders of Provincial Disabled Persons Associations. The training program will be highly interactive in nature and build the capacity of participants on the following disability areas so that they will be better equipped to advance the rights of people with disability in their communities: human rights and discrimination, advocacy skills, employment, education, accessibility, independent living and assistive technology, women and CALD people with disability. Participants will also have specific opportunities to meet with equivalent specialised disability associations in Australia.

The training visit will take place in Sydney between 21 and 25 February 2016.

The delegation name list is set out below (surname capitalised):

Name and Title Notes and requirements

Mr JIA Yong Vice President China Disabled Persons’ Federation

Head of the Delegation

Mr CHANG Zheng Deputy Director General Organization and Liaison Department China Disabled Persons’ Federation

Mr LI Weihong Chairman China Association of the Blind

Blind

Mr LI Qingzhong Vice Chairman China Association of the Blind

Vision impaired

Ms LI Yanyu Chairperson Qinghai Association of the Deaf

Hard of hearing – hearing loop if available but not essential

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Mr FAN Yitao Chairman Guangdong Association of the Deaf

Hearing impairment – hearing loop if available but not essential

Mr WANG Yan Vice Chairman Shaanxi Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities

Wheelchair user

Ms YANG Yan Director, Organization and Liaison Department of Gansu Disabled Persons' Federation and Chairperson, Gansu Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities

Mr ZHAO Xueliang Vice Chairman Liaoning Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities

Primarily uses a cane. Sometimes uses a wheelchair for long distances.

Mr ZHANG Baolin Chairman China Association of Persons with Intellectual Disability and Relatives

Ms WEN Hong Chairperson China Association of Persons with Psychiatric Disability and Relatives

Mr CAI Zhenkang Vice President Jiangsu Disabled Persons' Federation

Mr PENG Bingquan Deputy Director Organization and Liaison Department China Disabled Persons’ Federation

Mr CHI Junchang Coordinator/Interpreter International Affairs Department China Disabled Persons’ Federation

The delegation will be accompanied by an interpreter and two officers from the International Programs Unit, Australian Human Rights Commission:

Jacqueline Au, Program Manager, Australian Human Rights Commission

Elsa Chen, Program Officer, Australian Human Rights Commission

Jack Meng, Interpreter

The delegation will meet with government agencies, NGOs, service providers and academics/researchers. The Australian individuals/organisations we are proposing to arrange meetings with include:

Australian Human Rights Commission www.humanrights.gov.au Australian Network on Disability www.and.org.au

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National Disability Services http://www.cds.med.usyd.edu.au/about-cds Centre for Disability Studies, University of Sydney http://www.cds.med.usyd.edu.au/about-cds People with Disability Australia http://www.pwd.org.au/ Independent Living Centre https://www.ilcnsw.asn.au NSW Network of Women with Disability http://www.mdaa.org.au/projects/nsw-network-of-women-with-disability Ethnic Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW http://www.mdaa.org.au/ Blind Citizens Australia http://www.bcnsw.org.au/ Vision Australia https://www.visionaustralia.org/ Deaf Society of NSW http://deafsocietynsw.org.au/ Physical Disability Council NSW https://www.pdcnsw.org.au Intellectual Disability Rights Service http://www.idrs.org.au/home/index.php

7 Activity protocol

The HRTC follows a number of principles, the first and most important of which is that it is an undertaking between equals, founded on mutual respect. This is fundamental to the success of the Program. The activity will be most effective if you approach it as a sharing of experience between equally respected professionals.

Presentations

We recognise that many organisations are already familiar with delivering presentations and working with interpreters. The suggestions below are noted in case they are of any assistance. When delivering a presentation try to leave time for questions and discussion from the group, and opportunities for the delegation to share experience of their work in China. We are seeking to enable and facilitate China’s development by exposing practitioners to Australia’s experience and so it is beneficial to expose not only the successes but also the failures. The willingness of Australians to be frank about their own failings is a quality often commented on and much appreciated so you should

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not hesitate to describe relevant failures. Being frank is also sometimes an effective method to encourage frankness amongst the Chinese participants. In preparing and delivering presentations through an interpreter it is worthwhile to consider some practical issues.

Timing. It will take roughly twice as long to deliver a presentation through an interpreter, so you should be certain to allow adequate time. You should structure your presentation so that you deliver it one to two sentences at a time and then pause to allow the interpreter to translate. Translation will be consecutive rather than simultaneous

Phrases/sentences should be short. Long or complicated sentences should be broken into phrases. However, it is very important that presentations do not use any patronising language.

Communicate with your interpreter. If your interpreter has difficulty understanding a word or phrase, see if you can explain it to him/her or re-phrase. Ask your interpreter if there is a way you can make it easier for them to translate you.

Avoid idioms and slang. Australian slang is difficult for non-Australian English-speakers, let alone people for whom English is a second language. Try to avoid stories or colloquialisms that are not plain English.

Speaking louder is not speaking clearer. There is a tendency for people to repeat themselves louder if they feel misunderstood. It is better to speak more slowly or to re-phrase than to raise the decibels: your interpreter will let you know if they can’t hear you.

Jokes should be considered carefully. Although the Chinese much appreciate a good joke, many jokes do not translate well and you should carefully consider whether a humorous anecdote will make sense in another language. Of course a play on words will not work at all, but jokes that use irony or cultural norms are also often difficult to convey.

Visual aids to be used during presentations (such as Powerpoint or overhead slides) need to be kept simple and if possible bi-lingual. If you choose to use visual aids in your presentations, please ensure that you audio-describe all text and images on screen. That is, any text specifically referred to on the screen should be read and any images/photos described (e.g. presenters should not say “As you can all see or read…”). Additionally a flow chart only in English will make no sense to Chinese participants. Conversely, slides in Mandarin will not make sense to presenters who may be oblivious to the fact they are out of sync with their slides. Indeed it is better to have no material at all than half-prepared and semi-translated material: the latter guarantees confusion whereas the former avoids it altogether. The key to good slides is simplicity and good translation. Please advise if you would like material translated.

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Background briefing Before they arrive and on arrival in Australia the party will be briefed by the Commission on relevant Australian institutional structures and governmental and administrative mechanisms. However much of this material will be new to Chinese participants and it is often wise to not assume that much background knowledge has been fully absorbed. For instance it often proves difficult for people used to a unitary government structure to fully grasp the complications that arise as a result of Australia having a federal structure.

8 Contact at the Commission

Jacqueline Au

Program Manager, International Programs Australian Human Rights Commission Tel. 02 9284 9743 Mobile: 0427 591 847 (work) 0404 868 867 (personal) Email: jacqueline.au@humanrights.gov.au

Thank you for taking part in the China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program!