Charter campaign submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework
In a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework, the campaign, made up of over 90 organisations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with a disability, women, children, older persons, LGBTIQ+ people, and people from migrant and refugee communities, provided evidence that a Charter will benefit the whole community by:
preventing human rights violations;
providing a powerful tool to challenge injustice; and
fostering understanding and respect for human rights
Australia is the only western liberal democracy without a Charter of Human Rights or similar in our laws. A Charter would mean governments must consider people’s human rights when creating new laws and policies, and delivering services – like aged care, Medicare, disability services, and education funding. People could also take action and seek justice if their rights are violated.