Crisafulli Government urged to implement Queensland Human Rights Act review recommendations
The Human Rights Law Centre urges the Crisafulli Government to improve the lives of every person in Queensland by strengthening human rights protections, following an independent review of Queensland’s Human Rights Act.
Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has rejected all 70 recommendations of the review, which would have protected peoples’ right to housing, a healthy environment, and right to live free from gender-based violence.
The review also included a number of the Human Rights Law Centre’s recommendations to strengthen Queensland’s Human Rights Act, including to:
allow people to seek justice through independent legal action;
remove the override provision to require all laws to be consistent with human rights; and
expand the scope of protected human rights and require decision makers to listen to people affected before making decisions impacting them.
The Crisafulli Government overrode Queensland’s Human Rights Act last year when rushing through dangerous and discriminatory laws to lock up even more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children for longer.
Caitlin Reiger, CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre said:
“It is deeply disappointing that the Crisafulli Government has rejected recommendations that would have strengthened human rights protections for everyone in Queensland.
“The Crisafulli Government’s blatant disregard for the dignity, equality and freedom of people in Queensland should be of concern to everyone. This is the same government that overrode Queensland’s Human Rights Act last year to rush through dangerous laws to lock up children for longer, and has indefinitely postponed improvements to Queensland's discrimination law.
“Successive Queensland Governments have had a dangerous and prolonged track record for enacting policies which violate people's fundamental human rights on an unprecedented level in Australia, in breach of both Queensland’s own legislation and Australia’s human rights law obligations.
“This review recommended commonsense steps to improve the lives of every person in Queensland, including protecting peoples’ right to housing, a healthy environment, and to be free from gender-based violence. We urge the Crisafulli Government to support the review's recommendations.”
Media contact:
Chandi Bates
Human Rights Law Centre
0430 277 254
chandi.bates@hrlc.org.au