Why we need an Australian Bill of Rights
A joint forum to consider human rights in Australia and to launch the New Matilda campaign for a Human Rights Act
Wednesday 7 December 2005
Speakers: papers available - click speaker name to access text
- The Hon John von Doussa QC, President of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission
- Ms Susan Ryan AO, Chair, New Matilda's Human Rights Campaign Committee
- Associate Professor Spencer Zifcak, chief drafter of New Matilda's
draft Human Rights Bill
DRAFT ACT TEXT
Chair: Professor Michael Rowan, Pro Vice Chancellor, Division of Arts, Education and Social Sciences, UniSA
Joint forum presented by The Hawke Centre, together with the Don Dunstan Foundation, the Human Rights Coalition and New Matilda.
The New Matilda Campaign was launched in Adelaide on this occasion.
Audio transcripts
(mp3 audio file format)
- Introduction - Ms Elizabeth Ho, The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre (6.5Mb)
- Welcome - Professor Michael Rowan, UniSA (3Mb)
- The Hon John von Doussa (33Mb)
- Questions for Mr von Doussa (16Mb)
- Comments (3Mb)
- A/Prof Zifcak (35.7Mb)
- Introduction to Ms Susan Ryan (0.9Mb)
- Ms Susan Ryan (18Mb)
- Questions for Ms Ryan (5.5Mb)
- Closing comments (4Mb)
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Background on the NMG CAMPAIGN
Australia is the only Western country without a Human Rights Act or
equivalent. New Matilda has launched a campaign to change this. A draft
Human Rights Bill has been produced and released to the public for comment
at www.newmatilda.com. Consultation questions have been developed and a call
for submissions has been issued. This forum is an opportunity for the people
of South Australia to come along and discuss the draft Bill and to ask
questions.
The draft Bill reflects Australia’s international obligations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Australia is a signatory
to these but has not integrated them into domestic law. This has been
highlighted in the debate surrounding the proposed anti-terror laws and in
the treatment of asylum seekers.
Come along to the forum and have your say on the draft Bill. At the end of
the consultation process New Matilda will refine its Human Rights Bill and
then focus on building support in the community and the parliament. New
Matilda aim to have the draft Bill tabled and debated as a Private Members’
Bill by October 2006.