Do Australians want a human rights act?
Yes! Numerous studies have been done over the years showing that Australians value their human rights highly and would like to see them better protected. Research by Amnesty International in 2006 found that 95% of people surveyed rated their human rights as “important” and more than 60% incorrectly thought that Australia already had a Charter or Bill of Rights in place. More info at the Amnesty website. Several state governments have commissioned public consultations on whether rights should be protected by state human rights acts. The ACT and Victoria have already enacted human rights legislation and Tasmania and WA commissioned inquiries which both reported overwhelmingly support for such legislation. The current Rudd government has committed to conduct a national public inquiry about how best to recognise and protect human rights and freedoms. Our campaign supports this initiative and encourages individuals and organisations to participate in the consultations and make submissions w
