PM Urged to Drop Threat to Veto ACT Human Rights Act

The Australian Council for Civil Liberties viewed with alarm the prospect of Prime Minister John Howard using Commonwealth powers to override the ACT Human Rights Act passed yesterday.

ACCL President Terry O’Gorman said the poor human rights record of the Howard Government, especially its supine position towards the US over Messrs Hicks and Habib’s imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay, would guarantee a strong backlash against the Prime Minister if he moved to override the ground breaking ACT human rights legislation.

Mr O’Gorman said there was nothing radical about the ACT legislation as it mirrored, but did not go as far as, the Human Rights Act which the UK Blair Government introduced in 2001.

“There is not the slightest suggestion by the new leader of the British Conservative Opposition Party, Michael Howard, that the UK Human Rights Act will be abolished if the Conservatives win the next British general election”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said that for the Prime Minister to override the new ACT Human Rights law would require a vote on the floor of Federal Parliament.

“Unlike Mr Howard’s veto legislation in relation to the Northern Territory Euthanasia legislation in 1997 which involved a conscience vote, Mr Howard will have a difficult time getting veto legislation over the line in respect of the new ACT Human Rights laws”, Mr O’Gorman said.

“We urge the Prime Minister to immediately drop his threat of veto legislation but if he continues with his proposal, he will be guaranteed a fight which he will lose”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said that civil liberties have been placed under significant threat in Australia since 11 September 2001 and the Tampa incident in the same year.

“The ACCL and numerous other civil liberties groups and sympathetic politicians in all political parties will use the ACT legislation as a springboard for Human Rights legislation in other States and Territories and eventually in the Federal arena”, Mr O’Gorman said.

3 March 2004
Australian Council for Civil Liberties