This project is examining the scope for a Charter of Human Rights to remedy structural problems within the Australian legal system, including the lack of legal protection for basic human rights. The Australian Constitution was not drafted to include a Charter of Human Rights, and the rights that it does contain are scattered and offer little real protection to the Australian people.

It is arguable that there is value in specifying and protecting human rights as a means of developing and improving Australian cultural and legal attitudes towards minorities and in developing a greater tolerance for difference. As Brian Burdekin, a former Australian Human Rights Commissioner, commented in 1994: 'It is beyond question that our current legal system is seriously inadequate in protecting many of the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in our community'.

Our Charter of Human Rights Resource page lists the history of the Charter of Human Rights in Australia, arguments for and against and comparative information.