A National Human Rights Act for Australia

Australia has strong sense of human rights and freedoms, but the basic human rights of Australian people are not very well protected in Australian law.

Australia is the only liberal democracy in the world that does not have a national act or charter of rights that explains what people’s basic rights are and how they can be protected.

Some states and territories in Australia have their own Human Rights Act, but Australia needs a national Human Rights Act to ensure that the rights of all Australian are protected, all of the time.

Launch Video

On 7 March 2023, the Australian Human Rights Commission officially launched our Position Paper outlining our proposal for a Human Rights Act for Australia. The launch featured a speech from Commission President, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, and a panel discussion featuring a range of legal, human rights and parliamentary experts.

You can view the speech and panel discussion here.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has developed a model for what a national Human Rights Act might look like, how it could function, and what it would do. To find out more click here to go to the Australian Human Rights Commission website.