Audio: Australia 'rates poorly' on asylum and Indigenous policies

An assessment of Australia's performance in areas ranging from asylum seekers to climate change has produced a mixed report card.

The report states that Australia has failed by international standards on the treatment of Indigenous Australians.

The report praises moves towards holding a referendum on the recognition of Indigenous Australians in the federal constitution.

However it also criticises federal intervention measures in the Northern Territory.

Lecturer in indigenous policy at the Australian National University, Professor Jon Altman says the assessment of the federal government's treatment of Indigenous Australians is too lenient.

"I think that the rating of C+ is quite generous, but I don't think they've told us much about the ugly things that have happened. And by the ugly things I mean the contravention of the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory Intervention. and the ongoing support of measures like income management and punitive measures if children don't attend school by stopping people's welfare payments."

Professor Altman says the Stronger Futures initiative implemented in the Northern Territory to address issues of alcohol abuse and truancy should be reason enough to award a lower grade.

"The parliamentary joint committee on human rights in June of this year produced a report looking at Stronger Futures, where they basically say that the Stronger Futures measures certainly are highly problematic in terms of international human rights standards so on the basis of that report alone, I would be thinking a D or F for Australian government's performance in Indigenous affairs."