Cecily Rosol | Lead Candidate for Bass
On behalf of the Tasmanian Greens, I’m proud to today announce our commitment to fighting for the next government to introduce a Human Rights Act for Tasmania in the next Parliament.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute recommended we introduced a Human Rights Act. In the time since we’ve tragically seen why such a step is so important – especially when it comes to the rights of vulnerable young people.
Under the Liberals we’ve seen the basic human rights of children and young people frequently violated with no consequences. The worst examples of these violations have been at Ashley Youth Detention Centre – where they continue to this day.
We need a Human Rights Act to make sure that no matter how bad our government is, every Tasmanian has their basic rights protected. It would also mean these rights have to be taken into account when any other law is being made.
Introducing state-based human rights laws is not a new concept in Australia – these have been in place in the ACT since 2004, Victoria since 2006, and Queensland since 2019. It’s time Tasmania caught up with what is clearly a common-sense and best practice step.
The Law Reform Institute recommended protections for economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights, and all are incredibly important and should be included in the new Act.
We hope both the Liberal and Labor parties can get on board and make a Human Rights Act for Tasmania a tri-partisan agreement this election.
