Victorian Charter on the Right Path

Philip Lynch, Director of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, makes an assessment of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities which entered into force 18 months ago and became fully enforceable 6 months ago.

While he concedes that it is premature to comprehensively evaluate the Charter, he believes that enough time has passed to make some significant evidence-based observations. He finds that outcomes to date are very positive and that, contrary to claims often made by opponents, the Charter has not created a tsunami of litigation and that the courts have demonstrated that they are very adept at identifying which cases are meritorious and raise human rights concerns and which are not. Further, he finds that the Charter:

• is enhancing transparency and accountability in government.
• is being used as a framework to audit and implement best practice in service delivery.
• is being used as a tool to address disadvantage and promote human dignity.

Read more in the HRLRC Bulletin