Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to speak to the inquiry into Australia's human rights framework, which was referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights by the Attorney-General earlier this month. In my role as a member of the human rights committee, I am delighted that we are reviewing how our human rights inform our legislative process. I am proud to sit on this committee alongside my Labor colleague and chair, the member for Macnamara, who has advocated so strongly for this review. Human rights are a central part of our society and help us effectively maintain social cohesion. All people are entitled to respect and opportunity and to participate in the social, cultural and economic life of our nation, free from hatred or harassment. Labor is committed to defending the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both at home and abroad. This commitment is central to what Labor stands for, and what we have always stood for.

To advance this commitment, in 2008 the federal Labor government conducted a nationwide consultation to consider whether human rights were sufficiently protected and promoted in Australia. In 2009, the National Human Rights Consultationreport made 31 recommendations, including a whole-of-government framework for human rights and the establishment of the joint committee on human rights. This year, the Albanese government has committed to reviewing the effectiveness of this framework through the scrutiny process of the Human Rights Committee. This government takes protecting human rights very seriously and understands how important upholding those rights are, through transparent governance, unlike those opposite, who have continually compromised the rights of Australians through disastrous policies over the last nine years. (Time expired)