A/52/471 English Page 19 Government for its cooperation and hopes to learn at first hand about the situation of Aborigines in particular, and the situation of foreigners, in Australia. 44. In the meantime, the Special Rapporteur has received information about an Australian Government initiative outlined in a speech8 by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, at the Australian Reconciliation Convention in Melbourne on 26 May 1997. The Prime Minister said in his speech: "This Convention is a unifying event. It is an occasion for positive commitment to the future and a common avowal of the destiny we all share as Australians. It is an occasion also for frank speaking, and there has been some today quite appropriately, and in the same spirit I intend to speak frankly, although I hope on all occasions respectfully. "Since the inception of the Council in 1991, the Coalition Parties have committed themselves to the reconciliation process and today, on behalf of the Liberal and National parties, I reaffirm that commitment. "At the heart of this reconciliation process among Australians lie three fundamental objectives: "The first is a shared commitment to raise the living standards and broaden the opportunities available to the most disadvantaged group in Australian society - and that is indigenous Australians - and that must be done as part of a broader commitment to providing equality of opportunity to all Australians; "A second objective is a realistic acknowledgement of the interrelated histories of the various elements of Australian society; "And a third is mutual acceptance of the importance of working together to respect and appreciate our differences and to ensure that they do not prevent us from sharing the future." 45. The Special Rapporteur welcomes this political commitment by the Australian Government. He encourages the Government to translate this commitment into concrete and effective action by adopting appropriate legislative or other measures. V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 46. In his previous report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur noted the alarming increase in manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. At the global level, the situation has improved very little. On the contrary, the use of new communication technologies, particularly the Internet, has led to new forms of racism and racial discrimination. /...