Thank you to ALL who have signed and SHARED :) Please KEEP SHARING to keep up the momentum and BUILD SUPPORT..
So how many in Australia are AWARE that we have a Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights? And that Legislation that may have Human Rights 'concerns' is passed onto this Committee for input/comment?
This Committee is the REASON given by Labor Senator Katy Gallagher in December 2019 for LABOR voting DOWN Senator Di Natale's Motion in SUPPORT of Andrew Wilkie's Human Rights Bill!
https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/policies/229/detail
https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2019-12-02.134.1
You may (or maybe not?) be surprised to learn that almost every bit of 'contentious' Legislation that has in - the UNHRC context - possibly BREACHED #Australian's Human Rights - has been passed BY this Committee with flying colours!
Well ALMOST - Labor members and the solitary Greens member do make comments that disagree sometimes - but when do WE ever hear them?
And DO they have ANY effect on the legislation that is PASSED by MAJORITY PARTISAN vote?
Depends on what effect you are looking for!
Only 4 examples here but if you have time to read every PDF scrutiny report since 2012 (if you no longer have to go to work?) please feel free to add other examples and links to the comments section of this update - I'd love to read them!
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Human_Rights/Scrutiny_reports/2020
Discrimination Free Schools Bill 2018 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED AGAINST - because may IMPINGE on the Rights of Religious School TO Discriminate!
Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of CashlessWelfare) Bill 2020 and related instruments (to make CWC permanently ongoing for those living on Cape York) (NOT PASSED - IN A SENATE COMMITTEE) but apparently okay per Human Rights Committee as it has some 'positive' Rights discrimination!
Migration and Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 20201 (if you're a Citizen BORN overseas you can be stripped of your Citizenship without having to be told WHY because the Minister thinks HIS information should be KEPT Confidential) (STILL BEFORE HOUSE OF REPS) Human Rights Committee hasn't 'decided' yet
But when it comes to Larissa Waters' National Integrity Commission Bill? There are concerns about almost EVERY part of the Bill - which this Committee insists would infringe on POLITICIAN'S 'Human' Rights!
National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2), National Integrity Commission Bill 2019
Makes great reading as there WERE a number of concerns raised about THIS by the Committee - because Politicians are 'special'? The irony is the concerns raised PALE into INSIGNIFICANCE if the treatment of 'Witness K' - ignoring HIS Human Rights - by our OWN Govt is COMPARED!
This appears to be ONLY Bill that I've read so far - that this Joint Human Rights Committee has been so CONCERNED about the Bill's impact on THEIR Human Rights that:
"The committee draws these human rights concerns to the attention of the legislation proponent and the Parliament"
SEVERAL TIMES!
Other Bills considered by the Committee to do with our obligations towards refugees included:
Migration Amendment (Clarifying International Obligations for Removal) Bill 2021 (PASSED)
Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019 (PASSED)
Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 (PASSED) The joint Committee decided that although the Minister gets to decide WHAT prohibited 'things' are - there were no real issues with this Bill because it was to 'protect refugees'.
Removal of mobile phones (in view of Witness K's treatment) could well be more about PROTECTING the GOVT than refugees?
Perhaps it is BECAUSE of the way that we BECAME a Nation - deals done by the Aristocracy with Politicians who MOSTLY came from the landed gentry wealthy class - that our Governments have - rather than seeing themselves as SERVANTS of the People - seen themselves as Benevolent Dictators who think they KNOW better than the people?
Not ALWAYS of course! We have had working-class Politicians who have seen themselves very much as REPRESENTING everyday Australia!
But because Australia WASN'T the result of us fighting AGAINST the Aristocracy - perhaps this is WHY we have been a Nation of people who have always seen our Governments as wanting the BEST for us and have pretty much unquestioned their air of superiority?
Imagine the French if their Government acted as if THEY were superior?
Perhaps it is time Australians started to realise - Politicians AREN'T SMARTER than us. Good grief - there are PLENTY of examples in our CURRENT Parliament that PROVE it!
It's ALL based on WHO they know and how smart their PARTIES are at 'marketing' them..
Democracy is MEANT to be that Governments are the SERVANTS of the PEOPLE - NOT our MASTERS.
If WE want a Bill of Rights AND a TOUGH Federal ICAC (NOT the one the LNP plans to GIVE us!) then we have to
A) let it be KNOWN and
B) VOTE FOR Candidates who BELIEVE the SAME!