The rights thing to do? Towards an Australian Bill of Rights

Abstract

This is a review of a one-day conference on a proposed Commonwealth bill of rights which was held in Sydney on 21 June 2002. The conference was organised by the University of New South Wales' Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law and Australian Human Rights Centre. Guest speakers included Justice Sir Kenneth Keith of the New Zealand Court of Appeal, Justice Elizabeth Evatt, federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams, federal Shadow Attorney-General Robert McClelland, Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, former Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti and numerous eminent academics and legal practitioners interested in human rights and the question of whether Australia should have its own bill of rights.