When I was working at Digital Eskimo in the mid-2000s, I had the privilege to work with the team at New Matilda. I remember this wonderful cartoon by Fiona Katauskas. I thought it was really pertinent at the time, when rights were being trampled on with sweeping new laws being introduced allowing surveillance by ASIO and more, at the Federal Government level.
This is as true, if not more so, today than it was then…
I live in the state of New South Wales (NSW), which I was surprised to learn is one of the few Australian states without a Human Rights Act.
The NSW Parliament’s Community Services Committee is holding an inquiry into a private member’s Human Rights Bill 2025.
BEING—Mental Health Consumers, the peak body for mental health consumers in NSW (of which I’m a member), is coordinating a push to get as many individual voices into the inquiry as possible. Their campaign email lays out why it matters and how to take part.
Two ways to contribute
Support BEING’s formal submission by completing their short survey before Friday 19 June. (I know, only a few days away!)
Make your own submission directly to the Committee before Friday 3 July via the Parliament of NSW submission portal.
If you need a hand getting started, BEING provide an Advocacy Toolkit and the Human Rights Act for NSW submission guide—which seem like solid starting points.
A Human Rights Act won’t be a silver bullet. But it will provide a solid foundation; something people can stand on, something enforceable, something that outlasts whichever government happens to be in office.
This is especially relevant and timely when the NSW Government has recently attempted to push through legislation relating to protesting that has been struck down in the courts.