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Commission to lead a national conversation on human rights

Graphic: Commisison President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher

The dialogue will invite people to share their ideas on how best to promote and protect human rights in contemporary Australia.

The Australian Human Rights Commission will undertake a national conversation on human rights in 2019.

The national conversation will invite people from all parts of the community to share their ideas on how best to promote and protect human rights in contemporary Australia.

The goal is to encourage discussion and identify effective strategies and approaches so that:

  • Community members understand what human rights are and how to protect them (for themselves and others)
  • Communities are resilient and a protective factor against human rights violations
  • Law and policy makers explicitly consider the impact on human rights of their decisions and are accountable for this impact
  • Robust institutions exist to promote and protect human rights
  • Government and the community can work together to fully realise human rights—understanding the respective role of each other
  • Public servants, and contracted service providers, see the protection of human rights as core business in exercising their functions
  • Other issues identified as priorities for human rights protection by the Australian community are addressed.

The centrepiece of the project will be a National Human Rights Summit, to be held in the middle of 2019.

"It will identify the key principles and elements of a human rights reform agenda to modernize our system of human rights protection," Commission President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher said.

"We need to reimagine our system of protections of human rights and freedoms so that we can provide everyone with the opportunity to be the best that they can be," she said.

The terms of reference for the project are available on the Commission's website.

Date: 17 December 2019

Source: Australian Human Rights Commission


Image credits

  1. Commisison President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher - Australian Human Rights Commission