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2008/16: Should Australia develop a federal charter of rights?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This video is an Amnesty International animation explaining those rights. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because YouTube is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows YouTube clips.
What they said ...
'Australians are largely unsure of what their rights are or how they can protect them'
The Human Rights Act for Australia lobby group
'A bill of rights transfers ... power to judges, who are among the least adept people in the community to make decisions on matters of cardinal social importance'
Dr Mirko Bagaric, a lawyer and author
The issue at a glance
The case for a national charter of human rights for Australia was promoted at the recent 2020 summit.
Supporters noted that Australia is the only democratic country in the world that does not have a charter or bill that protects basic human rights.
The Federal Government has committed to an inquiry on a charter but it has ruled out any model that would undermine parliamentary authority.
Opponents see any charter as unnecessary and potentially harmful. Supporters of a charter argue that we live in times that make a charter of rights as necessary as it has ever been.
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