Many people in NSW assume their human rights are already protected by other laws – but this is not always the case.
The absence of a Human Rights Act in NSW leaves residents with some of the weakest legal protection of their human rights anywhere in the Western democratic world.
An alliance of more than 120 legal and community organisations, religious bodies and trade unions is calling on the NSW Government to seize on the opportunity this week to strengthen human rights protections by establishing a public inquiry into the introduction of a Human Rights Act for New South Wales.
Media release: Embargo 17 March 2026, 6.00am AEDT
NSW Government must take opportunity to deliver on human rights promise as 120+ organisations call for inquiry
An alliance of more than 120 legal and community organisations, religious bodies and trade unions is calling on the NSW Government to seize an opportunity this week to strengthen human rights protections by establishing a public inquiry into the introduction of a Human Rights Act for New South Wales.
The group, Human Rights Act for NSW, says NSW has fallen significantly behind other states in legally protecting fundamental rights. Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland have enacted Human Rights Acts. Comparable democracies - Canada, New Zealand, the UK - also have well developed Human Rights Acts.
Public support for reform is strong. Recent polling by Amnesty International Australia found that 76% of people in NSW support introducing a Human Rights Act in the state.
The NSW Labor Platform, taken to the last state election and reaffirmed in 2024, explicitly commits to a “community consultation into the introduction of further legislation to better protect the human rights of NSW residents.”
The absence of a Human Rights Act in NSW leaves residents with some of the weakest legal protection of their human rights anywhere in the Western democratic world.
The alliance says this gap is increasingly difficult to justify, particularly given NSW Labor’s promise to explore stronger human rights protections.
Last October, Jenny Leong MP, the Member for Newtown, introduced the private members Human Rights Bill 2025 (NSW). This week, the Legislative Assembly has an opportunity to refer that Bill to an inquiry.
Referring this Bill to a parliamentary inquiry is an opportunity for the Minns Government to deliver on its promise.
An inquiry offers the NSW community a chance to come together in a unifying conversation about returning dignity and power to everyday people, and will help government officials to make fair and caring decisions. It will help NSW face big challenges like the cost of living crisis, housing crisis, justice for First Nations communities, domestic violence, equitable timely access to healthcare and inclusive education for all children.
Kerry Weste, Chair of the Human Rights Act Alliance and Vice President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights: “Every day in Victoria, the ACT and Queensland people are benefiting in concrete ways because they have a Human Rights Act that helps government officials to make fair and caring decisions about things like access to government services. These laws, which have been operating successfully for decades, also support community-focused policy development in areas like domestic violence, housing, education, aged care and healthcare. This is a framework that can meaningfully protect everyone in NSW. It’s time for NSW to embrace the opportunity to learn from the experience in other jurisdictions through an inquiry into a Human Rights Act.”
Sarah Marland, Executive Director, Community Legal Centres NSW: “In the absence of a Human Rights Act, the most vulnerable people in our community live without any legislated framework to protect their rights and freedoms. Human rights should be at the heart of the work of our government and its agencies, from the development of laws and policies, through to the smaller everyday decision-making that can so profoundly impact our quality of life. Everyone in NSW should be able to access affordable, simple solutions for justice if their human rights are breached.”
Megan Spindler-Smith, Acting Chief Executive Officer, People with Disability Australia
“The Disability Royal Commission exposed the violence, abuse and neglect experienced by people with disability across Australia. Yet in NSW our rights still rely on a patchwork of laws that too often fail to protect us. Too often people with disability are still left behind in protections against violence, discrimination and hate. A Human Rights Act would create clear legal protections and give people with disability a pathway to challenge the systemic barriers that continue to drive violence, discrimination and exclusion.”
Nikita White, Amnesty International Campaigner: “It’s time for NSW to step up! Enshrining our human rights in NSW law would put human rights at the centre of all decision-making in this state. It would enable people in NSW to challenge human rights abuses, right wrongs, and create a fairer future for everyone.”
Blake Alan Cansdale, National Director, ANTAR: “For too long, the inherent human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been treated as optional in NSW. A Human Rights Act would help change that, by embedding fairness, dignity and accountability into the way that the NSW Government makes laws, develops policy and delivers services."
Caitlin Reiger, Chief Executive Officer, Human Rights Law Centre: “Everyone benefits from having Human Rights at the heart of our laws. We’ve already seen how human rights laws in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT have made a real difference to people’s lives – from overturning unfair evictions, safeguarding access to medical treatment, and stopping children from being locked up in cruel conditions. People in NSW deserve these human rights protections too.”
Giancarlo de Vera, Chief Executive Officer, BEING - Mental Health Consumers: “In recent memory, NSW has seen a range of structural issues with the mental health system that have had deadly consequences: from the Bondi Junction tragedy, to the indefatigable number of mental health consumers killed by NSW police when doing basic welfare checks, or the recent deaths connected to those absconded from Cumberland Hospital last month. We need a fundamental reset, and a Human Rights Act for NSW offers that very reset, providing the legal architecture for a paradigm shift sorely needed in mental health. It will drive changes in responsibility, consumer-led choices, and accountability for a more human rights-based system grounded in community-based care”.
Timothy Roberts, President, NSW Council for Civil Liberties: It is essential for this government to urgently reflect a unified vision for NSW. A Human Rights Act, comprehensively advancing the rights of all, goes a long way to do just that and helps to bolster community confidence in our democratic institutions at a time when we see that confidence tested internationally.
Cara Varian, CEO, NSW Council of Social Service: Advocacy brings hope, but hope is not a strategy. It’s time to recognise that fundamental rights aren't a 'nice-to-have'—they are a legal necessity. By passing a NSW Human Rights Act, we move from hoping for a fair go to ensuring accountability. We must embed protections into our legal system that guarantee freedom from violence, access to healthcare, and economic security. Without a clear legislative framework, our most vulnerable remain at the mercy of shifting political tides. It’s time to move past sentiment and start building a foundation of law that protects us all.
To arrange an interview with the HRA4NSW Alliance contact: Amber Plum 0407914508 or Kerry Weste 0404270671.
The full list of the member organisations of the Human Rights Act for NSW Alliance is available here A list of case studies that evidence the benefits that Human Rights Acts are delivering in the ACT, Victoria and QLD is available here
About us:
Established in 2015, the Human Rights for NSW Alliance (HRA4NSW) is made up of more than 100 peak and community organisations, faith bodies and trade unions campaigning to ensure that the human rights of NSW citizens are expressed and guaranteed by law so we are all treated fairly, and with dignity, equality and respect.
HRA4NSW is convened by Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and the NSW Council for Civil Liberties with a Steering Committee comprised of 17 NSW organisations.
Contact details:
Kerry Weste 0404270671 or Amber Plum 0407914508
