A submission prepared by Oxford Pro Bono Publico for Australia’s National Human Rights Consultation Committee (June 2009)

OPBP prepared this report for Australia’s National Human Rights Consultation Committee in its community consultation for protecting and promoting human rights and corresponding responsibilities in Australia. The report addresses the third question in the Committee’s Terms of Reference: how Australia could better protect and promote human rights. OPBP grounded its submission in the experience of the United Kingdom in its adoption of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA).

The report’s view is that the United Kingdom experience offers some valuable lessons in relation to the incorporation and implementation of a domestic human rights instrument. This extensively researched report sets out the lessons Australia can derive from that experience. It covers both the benefits that might be derived from a human rights instrument similar to the HRA, and the areas where Australia might improve on the United Kingdom model. In making its recommendations, the report also draws on experiences from New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa.

The National Human Rights Consultation Committee handed its report to the Attorney-General, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, on 30 September 2009.

The report is available here. It cites the OPBP submission several times. This is a particularly satisfying result for OPBP as the Committee received over 35,000 submissions.

You can read OPBP’s full submission below, or download it here. You can search or browse all OPBP’s projects here.