65% of Australians think we have a Bill of Rights. We don’t. Very few of our human rights are actually protected in Australian law.
The Rudd government is considering introducing human rights laws at the federal level, though not in the constitution, but as an ordinary act of parliament, similar (probably) to what the Bracks Government introduced to Victoria.
A national consultation on the protection and promotion of human rights is currently taking place. An independent consultation committee appointed by the Australian Government and chaired by Jesuit intellectual Frank Brennan, is interested in hearing the views of all Australians on human rights.
We all have inherent human rights (whether they are protected in law or not). We can all write to the Consultation Committee and tell them what we think. It’s very easy to make a submission — of any length.
The Committee’s key questions are:
- Which human rights and responsibilities should be protected and promoted?
- Are human rights sufficiently protected and promoted?
- How could Australia better protect and promote human rights?
UnitingJustice Australia has produced a toolkit to help individuals and groups participate in the National Human Rights Consultation. The toolkit also explains why the Uniting Church National Assembly supports legal protection of human rights in Australia.
We urge you to use this toolkit to reflect on the human rights issues facing us as individuals and as a society, and especially those in our community who are most vulnerable and marginalised, and to get involved in the Consultation.
Make a submission to the Committee (via the Consultation website) or attend one of the Committee’s many Community Roundtables (coming to Melbourne on 14 April).
