I am flabbergasted at the severe restriction of political protests by the government substantially reducing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as set out in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. The Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 (Cth) commenced on 4 January 2012. The Act requires all new bills and disallowable legislative instruments to be accompanied by a ‘Statement of compatibility with human rights’. Statements must assess compatibility against the seven main United Nations human rights treaties to which Australia is a party. How did such legislation ever through? thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/13/3399681/australia-protest-ban/ Our rights to protest, demonstrate and take part in political activities are recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) (ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Introduction.aspx) as well as many international human rights conventions and covenants. A right to freedom of peaceful assembly is part of international law under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights 1948 (Article 20) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights1966 (ICCPR) (Article 21). The right to engage in participatory democracy without unreasonable restrictions is clearly acknowledged by the ICCPR (Article 25).
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 12:32:57 +0000
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