Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. It's an absolute pleasure to rise in support of the Human Rights Bill 2026, moved by the member for Clark, who has been a stalwart in this space for so long. I know this is a longstanding interest of his, and I absolutely applaud his commitment to bringing legislation before the parliament again, and I back him all the way.

This bill is based on the model developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission and considered by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights in its report into Australia's Human Rights Framework in 2024. The committee acknowledged and I quote, the 'clear need for a rights-based legal framework' and recommended legislation be introduced to establish an Australian human rights act. This bill operates by codifying existing civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights under the United Nations human rights covenants. These include things like the right to education, the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to free speech and the right to a fair trial.

The bill introduces a requirement for other legislation to be interpreted in a way that's compatible with human rights. It means public authorities must act and make decisions in a way that is consistent with those rights. Similar legislation is already in place in Queensland, the ACT and my own state of Victoria. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the Victorian human rights charter—and to quote the parliamentary committee report, well, the floodgates have not opened. In those jurisdictions and across other parts of the world, the existence of human rights protections has not created a barrage of litigation or unduly limited the powers of parliaments or governments to carry out their functions. Instead, it has provided a vital safeguard for the basic principles Australians would expect from their democracy—dignity, equality, fairness.

There have been many times I've had concerns about legislation in this place, including some very recent examples when my concerns would have been lessened if statutory human rights protections were in place. Australia is the only liberal democracy without a comprehensive national mechanism to protect human rights. It's in our hands as parliamentarians to rectify that. As the member for Clark said so eloquently, everyday Australians are staggered that this does not exist. I commend the work of the member for Clark. I call on the parliament and on the government to get on and do this. It's fundamental. It assists us all in doing our job as representatives. It assists our democracy. Most importantly, it absolutely protects fundamental rights that every Australian should take for granted. I commend this bill to the House, and I thank the member for Clark for his work in bringing it to us yet again.

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