Release of National Human Rights Consultation Report
8 October 2009
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today released the report of the National Human Rights Consultation Committee.
In December 2008 the Rudd Government asked the Committee to conduct a nationwide Consultation to examine the protection and promotion of human rights and responsibilities in Australia.
The Committee has conducted the most extensive consultation on human rights issues in Australia’s history, receiving more than 35,000 submissions and conducting over 65 community roundtables and public hearings across more than 50 urban, regional and remote locations.
The report contains 31 recommendations and provides important information about what we do well and assesses options for addressing the areas where we can do better.
Overwhelmingly, the report finds that Australians support the protection of human rights.
They also, however, believe more can be done.
The key debate, therefore, is not about whether we protect human rights - it is about how we protect human rights.
The Consultation has demonstrated that there are many views on how human rights and responsibilities should be protected, promoted and realised, including on the merits of a Human Rights Act.
Importantly, it has also shown that there are many other important ways to protect and promote human rights including, for example, through enhanced education and improved parliamentary scrutiny.
The Australian Government will carefully consider the Committee’s report and outline its response in the coming months.
A statement on ‘The Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Australia’ is attached.
The report is available online at www.ag.gov.au or at www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
