Australia's Human Rights Framework

On 21 April 2010 the Australian Government released the Australia's Human Rights Framework.

In December 2008 the Australian Government lauched the National Human Rights Consultation. The consultation was aimed and finding out the view of people in Australia about the protection and promotion of human rights.

The Consultation was run by an independent Committee that was supported by a Secretariat in the Attorney-General’s Department. There were consultation meetings were held around the country as well as Public Hearings in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra from 1 to 3 July 2009.

On 30 September 2009 the Committee handed it's 'National Consultation on Human Rights Report' to the Australian Government.

Copies of the Framework, the Committee's report and the National Consultation can be found on the National Human Rights Consultation website.

What are human rights?

There are a number of basic rights that people from around the world have agreed on, including:

• the right to life
• freedom from torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment
• rights to a fair trial
• free speech
• freedom of religion
• rights to health, education and an adequate standard of living.

Where do human rights come from?

While human rights has a long history, the first attempt to develop a comprehensive statement on human rights was through the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR).

The UDHR sets out the fundamental rights of all people, including:

the right to life;

freedom from slavery, torture and arbitrary arrest;

freedom of thought, opinion and religion;

the right to a fair trial and equality before the law;

the right to work and education; and

the right to participate in the social, political and cultural life of one's country.

How are human rights protected nationally? 

Human rights are protected nationally in a number of ways including through: National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), Human Rights Defenders and Non-Government Organisations.

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

National Human Rights Institutions are independent administrative bodies established in each country to protect human rights. NHRI's are established and set out in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly Paris Principles of 1993. Australia's NHRI is the Australian Human Rights Commission, which is a 'A status' NHRI in accorance with the General Assembly's Paris Principles on independent national institutions.

More information on NHRIs can be found through the website of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) and the National Human Rights Institution Forum.

OHCHRs Fact Sheet No. 19, National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights is also a useful resource on NHRIs.