An Open Statement from the NSW Community
It’s time for an inquiry into a Human Rights Act
As organisations and individuals from across NSW, we come together to call on the NSW Parliament to support the establishment of a public inquiry into a Human Rights Act for New South Wales.
We want to live in a society that strives for the values we all hold most dear - justice, equality and a ‘fair go’ for all. We want to help build a society based on a culture of respect for human rights across government, parliament, the courts and our communities.
It is time for the NSW Parliament to conduct a comprehensive community consultation about legally protecting the dignity, security and interests of everyone in our state.
There has never been a better time for a conversation about a Human Rights Act for NSW.
The Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Queensland have already enshrined human rights in Acts of Parliament. For more than 20 years, these laws have been delivering meaningful improvements in people’s lives through fairer laws, policies and practices in governments’ day-to-day dealings with the community in areas like health, housing, and education.
NSW now has an opportunity to learn from these jurisdictions and take action to put in place similar laws to protect the wellbeing of everyone in our state.
Recent major inquiries at the federal level and in South Australia have both recommended that states address gaps in the rights protections afforded to people by introducing a comprehensive Human Rights Act.
The NSW Labor Platform, taken to the last election and endorsed again in 2024, unequivocally supports a ‘community consultation into the introduction of further legislation to better protect the human rights of NSW residents.’
In March this year, we welcomed notice of a Bill to establish a Human Rights Act for NSW given by the Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP, and comments from the NSW Attorney General, the Hon Michael Daley MP, that the government is ‘open to considering the issue and working constructively’ on the proposal.
This Bill is now due to be introduced imminently, and we call on all NSW Parliamentarians to support the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the Bill. This will enable a comprehensive community-wide consultation on a Human Rights Act for NSW.
The inquiry should consider how a Human Rights Act would best articulate everyone’s internationally recognised human rights robustly and fairly in law. It should also examine how the Act could best ensure our parliaments, governments and public entities uphold and protect human rights when they develop, implement and evaluate laws, regulations or policies. Importantly, it should consider how to ensure that everyone in NSW has accessible pathways to resolve disputes about their rights and effective remedies if their rights have been breached.
We know that big ideas come with lots of detail. We have reflected deeply on learnings from other jurisdictions, and we are ready to share our detailed proposals for a Human Rights Act that is effective and does not hinder the government’s ability to respond to immediate community needs.
It’s time for the NSW Parliament to take the first step and invite everyone in our state to join this conversation through a parliamentary inquiry into a Human Rights Act for NSW.
Signed,
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties
Community Legal Centres NSW
People with Disability Australia
Justice and Equity Centre
Children and Young People with Disability Australia
ANTAR
Homelessness NSW
NSW Society of Labor Lawyers
Human Rights Law Centre
St Francis Social Services
Refugee Council of Australia
Knowmore Legal Service
Centre for Law and Social Justice, University of Newcastle
Inner City Legal Centre
Australia Democracy Network
National Justice Project
Centre for Disability Studies
Human Rights for All
Redfern Legal Centre
Mums for Refugees NSW Inc
Disability Rights Connect
Rainbow Families
Justice Reform Initiative
Tenants Union of NSW
Trans Justice Sydney
Save the Children & 54 Reasons
Mid North Coast Legal Centre
National Regional, Rural, Remote and Very Remote Community Legal Network
Kingsford Legal Centre
Seniors Rights Service
Council for Intellectual Disability
Institute of Child Protection Studies
House of Welcome
Centre 360
Being Mental Health Consumers
Deaf Australia
Women’s Electoral Lobby
Parents for Trans Youth Equity
The Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
SHINE for Kids
ACON
Uniting NSW.ACT
South Coast and Country Community Law
Down Syndrome NSW
CALM Cultural Advocacy & Legal Mediation
Crossing Borders
Pride in Law
Equality Australia
Australian Lawyers Alliance
Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT
NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS)
Marrickville Legal Centre
HIV/AIDS Legal Centre
Mental Health Coordinating Council
The Australian Centre for Disability Law
Flourish Australia
Australian Human Rights Institute UNSW
Welcoming Disability
National Children's and Youth Law Centre t/a Youth Law Australia
School Can’t Australia
UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion
Women with Disabilities Australia
Environmental Defenders Office
Wayside Chapel
National Centre of Excellence in Disability Health
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW
Amnesty International Australia
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia
Grata Fund
Shelter NSW
Interaction for Health and Human Rights
Women’s Legal Service NSW
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
All Means All
AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation
Climate Defenders Australia
Intellectual Disability Rights Service
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
Digital Rights Watch
Create Foundation
Bravehearts
Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
International Commission of Jurists (Australian Section) Section)
Asylum Seekers Centre
Maternity Choices Australia
Act for Kids
Australian Association for Adolescent Health
I CAN Network Ltd
Individual Signatories
The Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC
Professor Emeritus Ron McCallum AO, retired, former Chair United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Professor Ben Saul, Challis Chair of International Law at The University of Sydney and United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism
Dr Graeme Innes AM, Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Adjunct Professor Nicholas Cowdery AO KC FAAL
Mary Crock, Professor of Public Law, Sydney University Law School
Craig Foster AM
Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt
Catherine Renshaw, Dean of Law, Western Sydney University
Professor Azadeh Dastyari
Professor Emerita Gwynnyth Llewellyn PhD MEd BA Grad DipContEd Dip OT
David Kinley, Professor of Human Rights Law, Sydney Law School
Emeritus Professor Simon Rice, OAM
Felicity Graham, Barrister
Dr Laetitia Greeff Children's Rights Advocate
Meda Couzens, School of Law, Western Sydney University
Dr Fiona Robards, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
Madeleine Bridgett, Barrister
Carmel Lee, Barrister
Nathan Kennedy, Human Rights Lawyer
Cátia Malaquias OAM, Lawyer and Human Rights and Inclusion Advocate
Damien Linnane, University Fellow, University of Newcastle
Bobbi Murray
Rutaban Yameen, LL.M / PhD Candidate
Tony Simpson