Should Human Rights Be Protected In Australia?

1275 Words6 Pages
Human rights and fundamental freedoms are concerned with the inherent dignity and security of all human beings which, when upheld and encouraged respect for, ensures that society operates by the rule of law which secures equality, justice, peace, democracy, development and better standards of living and unity. The legal protection of basic human rights is often found in a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights is the formal declaration of the legal and civil rights of citizens of any federation which seeks to protect basic and fundamental individual rights from infringement by the legislature or the executive. It takes precedence over, and cannot be amended by ordinary legislation. Currently, Australia remains the only Western democratic country that has neither a constitutional nor statutory legislative Bill of Rights, although there has been ongoing debate on whether it is needed in many of Australia's states. The questions raised now are whether and how human rights should be protected in Australia. This essay seeks to analyse inadequate ways that are in need of reform in which the Australian legal system protects fundamental human rights and liberties, and aims to justify that…show more content…
However, because Australia lacks human rights safeguards, laws that undermine democratic freedoms such as those anti-terrorism laws are allowed. The challenge in making anti-terrorism laws is to ensure the security of the nation, while also respecting the liberty of its people. Australia, unlike other democratic nations, doesn't have a Bill of Rights or a Human Rights Act, rights and liberties of the society outside of legal protection are subjected to the possibility of political compromise and
Open Document