Media Release

Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Human Rights Inquiry can and should lead to positive reform

The referral today of a Human Rights Bill to a Parliamentary Inquiry is an unambiguously positive step towards a standalone Act to define and protect the rights of NSW citizens.

President of the Law Society of NSW Ronan MacSweeney said the referral of the Human Rights Bill 2025 to the Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Community Services presents an invaluable opportunity for legislators to hear from experts and from the community on enshrining human rights in legislation.

“The human rights and public law experts on the Law Society’s policy and practice Committees look forward to contributing to this inquiry,” Mr MacSweeney said.

“Australia stands alone among common law countries as the only such nation not to have federally legislated or constitutional human rights provisions. However, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia all have enacted human rights legislation. The enactment of well drafted human rights legislation in NSW would strengthen the rule of law in our state, improving outcomes for government decision-making and the people of NSW.”

Mr MacSweeney acknowledged the work of a broad range of legal and community stakeholders who campaigned for this outcome, including the NSW Bar Association.

“This inquiry would not have been possible without the determined advocacy of supporters of human rights reform in NSW. I encourage those sitting on the inquiry to take evidence from a broad range of stakeholders, including experts, to ensure any recommendations proposed are comprehensively informed, and avoid unintended consequences,” Mr MacSweeney said.

Mr MacSweeney also encouraged all sides of NSW Parliament to take an objective approach to considering the evidence put to the inquiry, for the benefit of the people of NSW.

You can read more about our support for human rights legislation in our The Law Society’s Thought Leadership paper Human Rights Legislation for NSW.

Media contact
Damien Smith | Director, Media and Public Relations
The Law Society of New South Wales
M: +61 417 788 947
E: [email protected]