On 1 August 2007, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre made a submission, entitled Fostering a Human Rights Culture, to the Consultation Committee for the Proposed Western Australian Human Rights Act.
The submission was prepared with substantial input from Allens Arthur Robinson, one of Australia’s leading commercial law firms.
On 20 December 2007, the Consultation Committee released its Final Report. The Centre’s submission is cited over 35 times in the Report.
The consultation revealed that many people believed their rights, or the rights of others, were not given sufficient respect and needed greater protection.
The Committee found that human rights legislation should:
- Maintain Parliamentary sovereignty – democratically elected politicians and not judges should retain the responsibility for determining how rights should be balanced and when rights should be limited for the common good of the community;
- Encourage a human rights culture in Government departments and agencies;
- Discourage litigation as a way to resolve human rights issues – the emphasis should be placed on conciliation to settle disputes; and
- Protect civil and political rights as well as social, economic and cultural rights.
With the change in federal government and Federal Attorney General Robert McCelland’s announcement that he intends to consult the community about the introduction of a national charter, it appears a State-based charter will be on hold until the outcomes of the federal consultation process are known.
For further details, see http://www.humanrights.wa.gov.au/.
