With a Human Rights Act, we can create a fairer future for all of us. Today, we’re one step closer to having our rights protected in laws.
Background
Australia’s current patchwork laws don’t protect our human rights. Only our right to live free from discrimination is protected in our current laws. Our rights to healthcare, education, and housing aren’t protected at all.
Through the Disability, Aged Care, and Robodebt Royal Commissions we’ve seen what happens when governments don’t have to consider people’s human rights. Disability service workers, Centrelink staff and politicians, don’t have to consider our human rights when making decisions. and can violate those rights.
Without a Human Rights Act there’s nothing people can do when the rights are abused.
With a Human Rights Act, governments will have to consider people’s human rights when drafting laws, developing policies, and delivering services – like aged care, Medicare, disability services, and education funding. And everyone will be able to take action and challenge injustice when their rights are abused. A Human Rights Act would give people a clear pathway to protect their rights in court and seek remedies if their rights were abused.
On 30 May, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, handed down their report on their Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework. The report included an exciting recommendation for Parliament to legislate a Human Rights Act.
In 2023 Amnesty supporters sent over 4,000 submissions to the inquiry, showing the Albanese government that there are thousands of people, all around Australia, who want them to legislate a Human Rights Act. The Committee referenced these submissions from Amnesty supporters.
The Darwin Amnesty Action Group stated that intersecting features of a person’s identity may have contributed to wide ranging and compounded impacts, including of inequality, inequity, trauma and injustice, as well as ripple effect on people’s family, kin, community and on society as a whole.
Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework
The Inquiry report noted that nearly 90 percent of the thousands of submissions it received supported a federal Human Rights Act. A coalition of 103 civil society organisations have welcomed the Committee’s recommendation to legislate a Human Rights Act.
This recommendation means we’re one step closer to protecting all our rights in law. Now, we need the Albanese government to agree to the inquiry recommendation and commit to legislating a Human Rights Act.
We know that 3 in 4 people support the government legislating a Human Rights Act. To get them to commit to legislation an Act, Members of Parliament need to hear that their constituents support a Human Rights Act and want them to legislate one.
Every day, with your support, we move closer to a world where all of our rights are protected in law. Where our government considers and respects human rights, and where we can take action if our rights are abused. With a Human Rights Act, people can create better lives for themselves and their communities.
Tell your MP that you support a Human Rights Act now! Together, we can create a fairer future, a future where all our human rights are protected in our federal laws.
