Media releases

Voices of Franklin welcomes Tasmanian Human Rights Act update

3 May 2024

Voices of Franklin (VoF) has welcomed the new update from the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute that recommends the state government enact a Charter or Bill of Rights over a two-year period. Tasmania would then join Victoria, the ACT, and Queensland in having a legislated human rights instrument.

VoF convenor, Stephen Williams, said that in the absence of federal legislation it was up to the states to fill the gap.

“While all rights should be explicitly protected, there is a particular need for a legislated right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” Mr Williams said. “The ACT is amending its human rights instrument to reflect that.”

In 2022 the UN General Assembly voted almost unanimously in favour of recognising the right to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a human right. That came after the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 said such a right was “critical to the enjoyment of all human rights”. In short, there would be no rights on a dead planet.

Mr Williams said governments were slow to enact rights for citizens because politicians would then have to lift their game or get sued. “In 2022 the full Federal Court said the relevant minister did not have a duty of care in respect to climate change because such a duty was not legislated. Full marks to independent Senator David Pocock for now spearheading a legislated duty.

“The climate emergency is only one of many environmental problems so we need a general human right to healthy ecosystems to help fix other dangers such as the biodiversity and toxic chemical crises.”

Mr Williams also said rights to employment, accommodation and health care were patently and urgently needed.