Australian Lawyers Alliance calls on Tasmanian Independents to ensure Human Rights Act is part of negotiations

The Australian Lawyers Alliance is calling on Tasmanian Independent MPs to ensure a Human Rights Act is part of any negotiation with the major parties to form government. WHAT IT WOULD MEAN

Chair of the Prisoner's Legal Service Greg Barns SC. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Australian Lawyers Alliance is calling on Tasmanian Independent MPs to ensure a Human Rights Act is part of any negotiation with the major parties to form government.

Alliance spokesman, Greg Barns SC, said in Queensland in 2015 the Labor Party entered minority government with the support of Independent MP Peter Wellington after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk assured him Labor would look at human rights laws.

He said Labor asked a parliamentary committee to examine the issue which led to the passing of the Human Rights Act in 2019.

“Tasmania needs a human rights law which will protect freedom of speech and expression, along with ensuring vulnerable members of the community have recourse when government harms them,” Mr Barns said.

“The reason it’s important is because it gives greater protection to people from decisions made by executive government, particularly for vulnerable people, for example, people with disabilities and in social housing, who don’t have a lot of rights.

“Those who oppose human rights legislation think that it’s a lawyer’s picnic.

Greg barns SC. Picture: Chris Kidd

“Well, the evidence in Queensland, the ACT and Victoria is that that’s just a nonsense.

“It’s now part of the furniture in those jurisdictions and does a good job in enhancing the rights of vulnerable people.”

Mr Barns said progressive Independents such as Kristie Johnson, Craig Garland and Peter George, should ensure that human rights laws were a non-negotiable element in discussions with Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor Leader Dean Winter.

“Australia is one of the few countries in the world that does not protect human rights through a human rights law, so it is up to states like Tasmania to ensure that the community is protected by the state parliament acting.

“The current human rights framework in Tasmania is quite limited. You’ve essentially got to show discrimination in order to avail yourself of a human rights remedy.

“We have laws on our statute books which, if we had a human right’s charter, could be challenged or they wouldn’t exist at all.

“All around the world we have human rights charters and human rights laws which protect people.”

Mr Barns said former Labor Premier Lara Giddings had intended to introduce human rights laws but they were “dumped” because of the GFC.

He believes human rights laws are “consistent with the outlook” of the Independents.

The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute last year recommended that Tasmania enact laws that better protect Tasmanians with a Charter of Human Rights or a Human Rights Act.

Mr Barns said human rights laws in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT all “worked well”.

Originally published as Australian Lawyers Alliance calls on Tasmanian Independents to ensure Human Rights Act is part of negotiations