The Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Australian government Thursday to establish a national Human Rights Act to protect the fundamental rights of individuals in Australia. In a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, HRW noted that there have been several human rights issues that are unaddressed by the Australian government:

This includes the abuse and neglect of prisoners with disabilities, the chemical restraint of older people with dementia in aged care, the cruel treatment of refugees and asylum seekers who attempt to come to Australia by boat, and politically motivated crackdowns on protests by Australian authorities.

HRW urged the Australian government to introduce a human rights act in order to allow individuals whose rights have been violated to be able to take action. Every western democracy except Australia has a national human rights act, bill of rights or chapter. A human rights act would also educate individuals about their rights. The Australian director of HRW, Daniela Gavshon, has said that:

Existing laws in Australia protect against discrimination and other human rights violations, but many rights protections are inadequate…This patchwork of laws leads to people and groups – particularly society’s most vulnerable – slipping through the cracks.

The submission provides three recommendations: the introduction of a human rights act, the act should incorporate rights that have already been agreed by Australia under international law and the act should have enforceable human rights that enable individuals to seek redress for violations in a timely and low-cost manner.