Putting Principle into Practice - Submission to the Four Year Review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 - 1 July 2011

Sep 20, 2026

A submission prepared by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission for the Four-Year Review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006, dated 1 July 2011. It outlines the review’s overview and recommendations, then provides background on the Charter and the broader human rights law context, including international instruments and comparative jurisdictions. Four terms of reference address additional rights, self-determination, auditing/reporting for transparency and accountability, and remedies when government acts unlawfully.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages253

Reading Time10 h 38 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Four-year Review

Recommendations

Background

Term of Reference 1 - Additional Rights

Term of Reference 2 - Self-determination

Term of Reference 3 - Auditing, Reporting and Review

Term of Reference 4 - Remedies When the Government Acts Unlawfully

Putting principle into practice> Submission to the Four Year Review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 1 July 2011 Prepared by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Contents CONTENTS.......................................................................................................................................2 LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................5 GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..............................................................................6 THE FOUR‐YEAR REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 10 OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................... 12 RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................................22 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................................... 29 THE CHARTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................... 29 A HUMAN RIGHTS DIALOGUE ..................................................................................................................... 29 THE BROADER HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CONTEXT AND TRADITION .........................................................................33 International law...........................................................................................................................33 Human rights laws in other jurisdictions.......................................................................................37 TERM OF REFERENCE 1 ‐ ADDITIONAL RIGHTS................................................................................38 KEY POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................ 38 DISCUSSION ...........................................................................................................................................40 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS ......................................................44 CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD................................................................................................. 60 CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN ..................................67 DIFFERENCES AND GAPS BETWEEN THE CHARTER AND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS........................................................................................................................................................... 73 THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY .................................................................................................81 TERM OF REFERENCE 2 ‐ SELF‐DETERMINATION.............................................................................88 KEY POINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................88 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................................... 89 The Charter does not fully recognise of the rights of Indigenous people......................................89 What does self‐determination mean? ..........................................................................................90 What would recognising self‐determination in Victoria mean? ...................................................91 What community members told the Commission.........................................................................94 Key find

FAQs

Who prepared the submission for the Four-Year Review, and when was it dated?

The submission was prepared by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and dated 1 July 2011.

What does the document cover under the background and international law context?

It explains the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and places it within a broader human rights law context, including international law and human rights laws in other jurisdictions.

What are the four terms of reference addressed in the submission?

They cover: additional rights; self-determination; auditing, reporting and review to support transparency and accountability; and remedies when the government acts unlawfully.

Sep 20, 2026

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