David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The inquiry into Australia's human rights framework delivered its report in May this year with a very clear recommendation for a legislated enforceable human rights act. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and it must not be kicked down the road by this place. We've seen report after report saying Australia's human rights framework isn't up to protecting the fundamental rights of people in Australia, particularly against governments who seek to impose oppressive laws or deny access to basic needs like housing, food, education, a livable planet or a fair justice system.

It's time to get on with nailing down what those rights will look like, and who and what they will protect. A right to fair and transparent administration of government payments could have kicked the entire robodebt travesty over before lives were lost. A right to clean water might be just what we need to finally get safe drinking water for the community of Walgett, who, for years now, have not been able to drink what comes out of the tap. A right to housing could change the housing market to prioritise houses as homes rather than vehicles for investment. A right to data sovereignty could see young people protected from images of themselves being scraped from the internet to feed rapacious AI. And a right to adequate medical treatment could see a renewed commitment to ensuring dental and mental care is available for everyone in the community regardless of what is in their wallet.

Focusing on ensuring people have their fundamental rights upheld by government decision-making can give us budgets and laws that are geared towards genuinely helping and uplifting the wellbeing of us all. A human rights act or charter is an essential piece of public infrastructure that we're lacking here in Australia, and it's time to get on with implementing it.