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There is no time for complacency from the GLBT community warns the director of the Human Rights Charter Project, Edward Santow, as the Government begins its inquiry into a future Australian bill of rights.

Over the next six months lobby groups, community organisations and individuals will be invited to make submissions on the matter.

Edward Santow, of the University of New South Wales’ Gilbert and Tobin Centre of Public Law, has urged the GLBT community to get involved and make submissions to boost the numbers.

I’m aware of the risk that people might not be as proactive now after receiving the round of equality reforms, and I think it’s a terrible, terrible mistake to make. This is so important for any group that has ever been or is currently suffering any kind of discrimination, Santow told Sydney Star Observer.
It’s important because it establishes a set of human rights standards that Parliament has to consider whenever it is creating new law, he explained.

It also means that whenever government decisions are being made they have to do so in a way which, as far as possible, is in accordance with the standards set out in the charter of human rights.
Such a charter would provide legal protection from discrimination on the basis of sexuality in a range of areas, Santow pointed out.

A really good example might be in the health area. There are a lot of gay clients who have experienced discrimination on the basis of their HIV status. So what a charter of human rights would do is provide much more protection for them, particularly if they’re seeing a doctor in the public sector. It would also have an impact when a private organisation was performing a public duty -鈥� so in hospitals set up by churches which aren’t always as accepting.

To receive such cover, it will first be necessary to prove an overwhelming amount of public support for the idea, Santow said, in an effort to encourage more submissions.

Unlike a lot of inquiries they will actually be looking at the numbers so it is really important to get as many individuals as well as organisations writing in and saying -藴yes, we think a human rights charter would be a really good thing.’ It doesn’t have to be long. It just has to be an email or a letter that takes three lines, because they really are going to be looking at the numbers.

info: For more information on a possible charter of human rights head to http://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/projects_partners/projects/cohr/index.asp