The Greens' plan for stronger legal protections in Australia
The Greens care about people - that's why we're making better legal protections for Australians a priority.
Neglecting their 2010 election promises to consolidate equality laws, Labor dumped the draft Human Rights and Anti‐discrimination Bill in March, selling some of our most vulnerable citizens short on the legal protection they deserve.
Despite talk of ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) it signed in 2009, the government has failed to do so.
We know that strengthening legal protections is in the best interest of all Australians and will contribute to a safer, more equal and caring society.
That's why we have announced a rule of law package which will ensure better transparency and stronger legal protections for all Australians.
The Australian Greens will:
- Ratify "OPCAT" - the Optional Protocol Against Torture - immediately. We want to see Australia comply with our international human rights obligations to improve monitoring and accountability in places of detention such as prisons, immigration detention centres and mental health facilities. To help make this happen we will also provide resources for the National Preventive Mechanism, the monitoring body.
- Consolidate, strengthen and modernise federal anti‐discrimination laws by legislating the Human Rights and Anti‐Discrimination Act.
- Introduce a framework for compensating those who are wrongfully convicted of federal offences, just as they have in the UK and New Zealand.
Our commitment to greater transparency, stronger equality laws and better legal protections reflects the Greens' broader commitment to caring for people. Unlike the old parties, we are standing up for the rights of all Australians - no matter what their circumstances.
Read more about our plan for stronger legal protections here.
