Housing is to become a human right in one jurisdiction in Australia, the ACT. The breakthrough initiative will encourage the Albanese government to include housing in its list of federal rights when it officially responds to a parliamentary committee recommendation made on 30 May 2024. The government response is expected in the next six months.
Labor’s huge parliamentary majority means the second Albanese government can now convert people’s previous hope and tacit expectation into the reality of a long-promised Human Rights Act for the nation. Albo’s HRA will embed a ‘fair go’ into Australian law, for which he will be forever remembered. Based on a dialogue model guaranteeing parliament remains supreme, the draft Bill gives people ready remedies to right government wrongs. Combined, the HRA infrastructure will start to restore Australians trust in government: a lack of trust anchors the nation’s progress in ways as diverse as holding back public sector productivity to increasing the risk of a growing ‘sovereign citizen’ movement.
With the 48th Parliament under way, CLA is ramping up briefings and backgrounding to achieve a Human Rights Act for Australia. The Labor government, with Greens and Independent support, has the numbers to pass a Human Rights Act easily, so ‘The Time Is Now’. Behind the scenes, Bill preparation is under way, based on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Right’s draft, with the crucial No Rights Without Remedy provisions included. A perfect timeline would be mid-2026 or earlier introduction of a Bill to the House, with passage hopefully through Parliament by the Spring session next year.
Civil Liberties Australia will lodge a foundational petition with the new Australian Parliament this month as part of a targeted, formal launch of the national Human Rights Act campaign. The aim is to achieve a legislated HR Act by the end of 2026. This will give all Australians rights in law they have never formally enjoyed, and motivate bureaucrats to make best and fairest decisions in the first place. CLA is a key partner among the 130-plus groups and associations backing the campaign – see list in this issue. Once the petition is accepted, you will be able to add your signature to it: we’ll let you know when, and where.
CLA and the other leaders of 100-plus civil society groups promoting a Human Rights Act (HRA) for Australia are re-launching the long-running campaign anew from this month. The post-May, re-elected Labor government now enjoys a Lower House majority and HRA-friendly numbers in the Senate. But having a new Attorney-General, Michelle Rowland, and other portfolio changes, means re-presenting the overwhelming arguments for legislating our own foundational rights and liberties for citizens, just like those enjoyed by all other advanced western nations.
We vote by 3 May on the character of the federal leaders, the promises of the parties, and in the pollyanna-ish hope that current global turmoil can produce positive prosperity in future. As our votes are counted, we know definitely that there are urgent, existing, unaddressed issues in Australia to fix so that individual rights and the national rule of law remain our guiding principle.