Human Rights Act should be expanded

The ACT Human Rights Act (HRA) should include explicit guarantees of economic, social and cultural rights, according to report prepared by Australian National University and University of New South Wales researchers. Launched by ACT Attorney-General, Simon Corbell, Time to Act? Recognising Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as Human Rights in the ACT provides an overview of recent Australian debates on the issue. Co-author of the report Professor Hilary Charlesworth from ANU said the researchers also examined the impact that inclusion of such rights in the Act would have.   'The HRA has been in operation in the ACT for seven years and, during this time, it has not led to a flood of litigation,' she said.   'Its major impact has been in ensuring that government, the Parliament and the courts give regular and more focused attention to the human rights issues raised by specific laws, policies and proposals.   'Our research found that there is every reason to expect that inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights in the HRA would have a similar impact, and would represent a further stage of evolution of human rights protection in the ACT.'   The report recommended that the HRA include the right to housing, the right to health, including food, water, social security and a healthy environment and the right to education. It also recommended inclusion of the right to work and the right to take part in cultural life.