The St Vincent de Paul Society was at Australian Parliament House in August as more than 50,000 Australians called on the Federal Government to put human rights at the heart of the nation’s laws.

On Thursday 20 August, the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) and Amnesty International Australia delivered a petition of 50,053 signatures to a cross-section of Labor, Greens and independent MPs and senators in Canberra. The Society was among the 184 organisations backing the Human Rights Act Campaign, and joined others on the day to see the petition handed over.

The Society supports the HRLC’s campaign for a federal Human Rights Act largely because Australia’s current legislative approach to human rights is piecemeal. A federal Human Rights Act would provide consistency and protect fundamental rights, including housing, healthcare, education and economic security, that are essential to people thriving. It would also hold Government to account by ensuring human rights are considered in all laws, decisions and services.

“A federal Human Rights Act would put people front and centre in the services and support systems in our country,” said National Council CEO Toby oConnor. “It would help ensure that all of us are treated equally and able to access what we need, when we need it, to live a decent life.”

The MPs and senators who received the petition committed to raising a Human Rights Act in Parliament and with the Albanese Government.

For the Society, the case is straightforward: fundamental human rights protected in law are rights people can rely on when they need help most.