Is the renewed push for a Human Rights Act worth the effort?
A Commonwealth Human Rights Act must do more than help courts identify breaches of human rights; it must enable them to strike down offending laws and give relief to wronged litigants. The groundwork for an act with teeth is still to be done.
An irresponsible – and inexcusable – delay
Not giving adequate protection to human rights, particularly to the most vulnerable people in our country, when the government has the political financial and legal resources to do so is a national disgrace. We need a Human Rights Act.
Australia has waited 21 years for a Human Rights Act – what is Albanese waiting for?
The president of the Australian Human Rights Commission this week renewed the call for national human rights legislation. The parliamentary committee report has been gathering dust since 2024. The Senate numbers exist. The only thing missing is political will.
Could old rivalries spur Albanese to act on human rights?
Kevin Rudd had the groundwork, the evidence and the political moment for a Human Rights Act – and still walked away. Anthony Albanese now has the same opportunity, and no obvious excuse not to take it.
Human rights: could Menzies help Albanese see the light?
Australia’s push for a federal Human Rights Act is stalled by political caution and media hostility. The path forward may depend on Coalition support – and reframing the reform as consistent with Liberal tradition.
Words or action? Dreyfus and human rights at home
Mark Dreyfus has been appointed Australia’s special envoy on human rights. Is the government prepared to match international advocacy with concrete action at home – by finally legislating a Human Rights Act?
Federal parliamentary committee presents a decisive case for an Australian Human Rights Act
Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights has tabled a report that makes a persuasive argument for comprehensive legislation to protect Australians’ fundamental human rights. Its Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework (2024) identifies a catalogue of deficiencies in the nation’s disaggregated systems of human rights protection. The report provides a new and compelling case for Parliament to revisit the idea that Australia should join every other Western nation in providing comprehensive legal protection to combat the widespread infringement of human rights.