On October 23, the Lower House of Parliament in Macquarie Street in Sydney was packed with members from civil society supporting Jenny Leong MP for Newtown and Sydney Inner West, as she mounted her detailed submission on the need for NSW to ratify a Human Rights Act.
Jenny gave a well-researched and heartening speech for this act. However, it must be noted that Jenny was not ‘playing’ politics. Her knowledge and conviction for such an act stemmed from her lengthy time as an activist for Amnesty International.
Jenny stated that the process will be ongoing and lengthy, and in its present stage, patience and expertise must be applied, with lots of public input.
We are all familiar with the plight of First Nations people. The mere existence of such an act could have prevented much death and suffering. This year alone, the highest total of deaths in custody in NSW prisons was recorded. What do we know of the surrounding circumstances? Nothing. A Human Rights Act would have aided legal transparency.
Jenny also spoke of the plight of many Elders and disabled people in rural NSW experiencing denial of human agency, and the trauma such political neglect has upon their wellbeing.
I was very inspired by her speech about the amount of young people on the Central Coast, who had approached her with their intentions to be represented in the NSW Human Rights Act.
Presently, 120 organisations are calling for this act. There are over 62 lawyers working on the proposed act. Jenny listed countless examples, and also urged civil society to acquaint themselves with other International charters addressing rights.
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