Australia's Position on Human Rights

Since 1948, Australian governments have also signed a number of other treaties and agreed to other international documents on human rights. These include documents that protect civil and political rights such as the right to vote and not be jailed without trial and documents that protect social and cultural rights like the right to education, health care, and freedom of cultural and religious beliefs.

An interesting point to think about at this stage, which we will visit in more detail in subsequent lessons, relates to this notion of how well does Australia really protect these rights and liberties? Think for a moment about groups such as Indigenous Australian’s and other minority groups. Upon further investigation you will see that this notion will provide many future challenges for Australia.

To make sure that these rights are actually protected in Australia, Australia has a constitution and laws made by parliaments and courts. For example, it is against the law to discriminate against people because of their ethnicity or religion. It is also against the law the law to do things that will incite racial hatred (An organised attack on people of Lebanese backgrounds for example would be a crime).

The major NSW law is the Anti-discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) which makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis ofsex, race, age, marital status, homosexuality and disability amongst other things.

Australia has also set up commissions to monitor human rights. One of these is HREOC (Human Rights and equal opportunity commission.)

Australia does not have a Bill of Rights like many other developed countries. However, it was announced in October 2009 that a Commonwealth Government law might soon be passed that lists all our rights in one place.