The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, will today introduce legislation in the Federal Parliament that would enshrine a Bill of Rights in Australian law.
The bill is modelled closely on previous legislative attempts to introduce a Bill of Rights, including most recently the Australian Bill of Rights Bill 2001.
“A federal Bill of Rights is necessary to ensure that the Federal and state governments respect human rights and that power-hungry politicians don’t infringe those rights,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Many members of the community agree that we need a Bill of Rights. The Australian Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Law Centre, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and the Refugee Council of Australia have all supported a Bill of Rights at some point.
“The Bill of Rights would prevail over any Commonwealth, State or Territory law that infringes on the rights and freedoms that it outlines. It would also allow individuals who feel that their rights have been infringed upon to object to the Human Rights Commission and seek a solution through the courts.
“I call on the Government and the Opposition to support this bill and bring Australia into line with other countries.”