The Government seeks the views of all Australians and so it is important that you, your organisation and its members and clients have their say.  You may:

• Lodge a submission

You may like to lodge a submission on behalf of your organisation that answers the consultation’s key questions (outlined in the section ”national human rights consultation - what’s it all about?” ), based on the experiences of your organisation, its members and clients and the sector of the Australian community your organisation is involved in.  Submissions to the Committee are due by 15 June 2009 but don’t delay.  The sooner you put your submission in the greater impact it will have.

You can make an online submission to the Committee through:

• the National Human Rights Consultation website.
• Getup!
• Amnesty International

Many Australians and organisations have already sent the Committee their views. Join them and have your say.

• Assist others to engage in the consultation

Assist your members and clients to engage in the consultation by providing them with information about the consultation, encouraging their feedback directly or by conducting forums, assisting them to lodge their own individual submissions through the provision of tool kits and conducting workshops.

• Attend the Community Roundtables

Register to attend and participate in the Committee’s community town hall-style meeting, (the details are available on the National Consultation Calendar of Events website).

How else to get involved in the consultation?

• PIAC video competition

• Kingsford Legal Centre photographic competition

• Facebook- The National Human Rights Consultation and the Australian Human Rights Commission has set up a Facebook page

For more ideas on how to get involved in the consultation process go to the National Human Rights Consultation webspage.

Upcoming Events

National Consultation Community Roundtable,  Tennant Creek, NT -10 June 2009 

Annual Castan Centre Conference - Changing the Human Rights Landscape, Melbourne VIC - 17 July 2009

National Human Rights Consultation Online Consultation - Until 26 June 2009

The Disability and Age Discrimination Law Reform Summit, Sydney NSW - 30 - 31 July 2009 

 

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Australians want and deserve greater protection of our human rights. We remain the only western country without proper protection of our human rights. Australia has always been happy to talk about the importance of human rights overseas; now it is time that we have a Human Rights Act to protect our human rights at home.

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1. A Human Rights Act will set out the fundamental rights that Australians agree should be protected.
2. A Human Rights Act will improve government decision making by requiring government to recognise and protect human rights. All new legislation should be assessed against the yardstick of the rights enshrined in law.
3. State inquiries into human rights reveal that an overwhelming number of Australians who made submissions want legislative protection of human rights.
4. Current Australian laws only protect a narrow number of rights in a limited way. One instrument will bring all of those rights together and protect them in the same way.
5. A Human Rights Act will ensure that in a strongly democratic society we all bear the responsibility to protect the rights of others.

For five more reasons check out Doing Justice from the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

Here are some useful resources, including toolkits, submission templates, fact sheets, case studies and speeches to assist you to get involved in the National Human Rights Consultation.

Toolkits

• Australian Human Rights Commission: “Lets talk about Rights: A toolkit to help individuals and groups participate in the Australian Government’s National Human Rights Consultation ”
•  Uniting Church in Australia: Toolkit to help individuals and groups in the Uniting Church to participate in the Australian Government’s consultation
• Human Rights Law Resource Centre :“HRLRC Submission Toolkit ”
• Australian Human Rights Commission: Tool kit for young people and children

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On 10 December 2008, the Federal Government launched a national public consultation on how best to protect human rights and responsibilities in Australia.  This consultation is an historic opportunity for individuals and communities throughout Australia to improve our democracy and to have our say about the protection of fundamental values such as freedom, respect, dignity and a fair go.

The Government has appointed an independent Committee, chaired by Father Frank Brennan and including Mary Kostakidis, Mick Palmer and Tammy Williams, to implement a broad Australia-wide community consultation. Read the rest of this entry »

A Human Rights Act can benefit (amongst others) the following groups in a number of ways:

• People with a disability
• Businesses
• Older people
• Women
• Gay, Lesbian and Transgender people
• Homeless people /people in public housing
• Asylum seekers /refugees
• Children and young people 
• Indigenous people

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