On Thursday, 8th of October, at the Queens Hall, Victoria State Parliament, head of the NHRC, Father Frank Brennan, formally handed the Consultation committee report to the Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland. In attendance were the other members of the committee, Mary Kostakidis, Mick Palmer and Tammy Williams, as well as former Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser and the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Cathy Branson, plus many representatives from the community with an interest in human rights, including from IsaiahOne.
Of great interest was the NHRC’s conclusion about whether human rights should be implemented into federal legislation, such as through a Bill or Charter. The report recommends that Australia adopt a Human Rights Act. It recommends that the Act be based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Whilst the report recommends an Act, the Attorney-General left the Government’s response open. It is up to us as a community to follow up the report by encouraging the Government to act on the Consultation’s recommendation.
The 460 page report is the product of what the Attorney-General and others say is one of the most extensive public consultations on any issue in our history. There were over 35,000 submissions from the public, 66 public meetings (which 6,000 people attended) held in cities, rural and regional areas, plus national phone polling, focus group research, 3 days of public hearings in Canberra, an online forum and more!
One indication of the public’s views on a Human Rights Act was that 87.4% of the submissions (which expressed a view on the issue) favoured the introduction of an Act (29, 153 submissions). In a national phone survey, 56% of respondents supported a Human Rights Act, while 30% were neutral. Only a minority actively oppose the introduction of an Act.
The report shows that the Australian people believe that our current system of human rights needs improvement. The Attorney-General observed that, “Australia has a ‘patchwork quilt’ of human rights protections…and a number of people are missing out.”
The report belies claims made previously by those opposing reform that Australians weren’t interested in human rights, didn’t support a human rights Act of any kind and already have their rights well protected.