The Human Rights Law Centre has told the Senate Committee tasked with investigating the Federal Government’s response to COVID-19 that human rights must be at the centre of the Government’s actions, both now and into the future.

Hugh de Kretser, Executive Director with the Human Rights Law Centre said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus human rights issues requiring urgent action.

“The pandemic and its economic fallout are not impacting people equally. They are laying bare inequality and injustice in our society. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, older people, people in detention, people with a disability, people in insecure work and refugees and people seeking asylum are all at greater risk. Out of this crisis, we have an opportunity to build a fairer, more compassionate community with human rights at its heart.”

The Human Rights Law Centre’s submission recommends key measures to safeguard human rights in the pandemic, from reducing the number of people held in immigration detention, to ensuring proper democratic scrutiny and accountability, to extending the social safety net so people don’t fall through the cracks, and much more.

“We are at a pivotal moment. The actions we take today are crucial to keeping people safe during this crisis and shaping the country that emerges on the other side. We must ensure our governments are responding appropriately, fairly and in a way that promotes, rather than undermines, human rights and democracy for years to come.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us of the critical importance of human rights. As this crisis subsides, there should be a priority on ensuring that we have better services, laws and policies all of the time. An Australian Charter of Human Rights would help ensure that values we all share, like fairness, dignity and compassion, are placed at the heart of government action.”

Read the submission to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 here.

Media contact:

Michelle Bennett, Communications Director: 0419 100 519