The Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc.) (ALSWA) prepared this submission following the introduction of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 (Cth) (the Bill) in the House of Representatives on 2 June 2010, and its subsequent referral by the Senate to the Australian Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for inquiry and report. The Bill lapsed after the ending of the session of Parliament (due to the Federal election) and was reintroduced on 30 September 2010. The Senate referred the Bill to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 23 November 2010. This submission is a slightly amended version. The Commonwealth Attorney-General introduced the Bill as part of Australia’s new Human Rights Framework to “enhance parliamentary scrutiny of laws for consistency with our international human rights obligations”. In this submission ALSWA highlights the need for increased and more specific mechanisms to address the ongoing factors inhibiting Aboriginal peoples’ ability to enjoy fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Human Rights Parliamentary Scrutiny Bill_-_Oct.pdf (155.89Kb)
