E/CN.4/1998/79 page 34 to Australia. The Government of that country has accepted his request. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Australian Government for its cooperation and hopes to learn at first hand about the situation, and in particular that of Aborigines and foreigners. 129. In the meantime, the Special Rapporteur has received information about an Australian Government initiative outlined in a speech 12/ 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. 130. “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.” Special Rapporteur's observations 131. 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, particularly measures favouring Aborigines. V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 132. In his previous report to the General Assembly (A/52/471), 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. 133. Despite the governmental, legislative or judicial measures taken or envisaged in some countries to combat racism and racial discrimination measures which the Special Rapporteur welcomes - the situation in this area continues to be cause for concern and requires a more proactive approach at the national and international levels in order to stem the proliferation of