A Charter of Rights for Australia

Australia does not have a bill or charter of rights, which means there is no comprehensive law that enshrines human rights in Australia – even though these laws are standard in the rest of the developed world. So what does this mean for the rights of Australian citizens?

In this fully revised fourth edition of A Charter of Rights for Australia, George Williams and Daniel Reynolds show that human rights are not adequately protected in Australia, contrary to what many of us think. Using some pressing examples, they demonstrate how the rights of people at the margins of our society are violated in often shocking ways.

Several states and territories have adopted their own charters of rights, or have a charter well underway. This book’s argument that the time has come to adopt a charter at the federal level is more urgent than ever.

Sales Points

• George Williams is one of the foremost legal commentators on the issue of a bill/charter of rights in Australia – one prominent opponent, Janet Albrechtsen, called him the ‘high priest of the Bill of Rights movement’.
• Freedom of speech and human rights of Australians have been prominent issues in the media – anti-terror laws, abuses in the Northern Territory juvenile corrections system, Indigenous deaths in custody, same-sex marriage, section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, etc – so this revised edition is timely.
• The movement for charters of rights is growing, as evidenced by Victoria and the ACT implementing their own state-based charters of rights.
• Lays out the arguments for and against a charter of rights clearly and comprehensively.