Understand human rights
The Human Rights Act 2019 (the Act) protects the human rights of every person in Queensland when they interact with the Queensland Government. As public sector employees, we must think about the impact of our decisions and actions on the human rights of Queenslanders whenever we create new laws, apply policies, and deliver services.
Every person in Queensland has the same human rights.
Our new Human Rights Act protects the freedom, equality and dignity of every person in Queensland.
There are specific obligations for public service employees under the Human Rights Act 2019.
Before you make a decision or take an action in your work, you must think about whether it will impact someone's human rights.
From public service officers, managers, teachers, nurses, police officers to front counter staff; we all have a role to play in respecting, protecting and promoting human rights. All sorts of different people with different needs use our service. There are a number of forms that they must complete which some people find difficult. It is my responsibility under the Human Rights Act to ensure that everyone can access our service equally, so we provide interpreters, offer alternative arrangements like accepting verbal statements in addition to written statements and meeting diverse accessibility requirements from physical access to technology support.
I am happy that the Human Rights Act names Right to Education for children as a specific human right. As a teacher, I see the importance of equal access for children with diverse needs to school and education and the Act now recognises this important right.
Under the Human Rights Act everyone in Queensland has the right to access health services without discrimination, including if they are culturally and linguistically diverse, live in regional and remote areas or have specific beliefs that they wish to follow.
It is my job to keep people safe, protecting their right to life and their physical safety which is called security of person. There are also a number of human rights specifically for people in the criminal justice system to ensure they are treated with dignity and equality.
Every person has the right to take part in public life, including working in the public service. Our recruitment policies must consider equality, for example whether holding a driver's licence is an essential requirement of a job, or whether a job sharing arrangement could work to provide protection of families and children.
Human rights is a big concept that begins in small ways.
How do you respect, protect and promote human rights in your work?
Navigate the sections below to learn more about how the the Act operates in Queensland, further your understanding of the responsibilities of public sector employees under the Act and how to apply a proportionality test to your work.
The Act includes a ‘dialogue model’ for the protection of human rights in Queensland. This means that the three arms of government—the public sector, Parliament and courts—are encouraged to talk to each other about how to promote, protect and reasonably limit human rights.
Watch this video to learn more about our state’s human rights system
The Act protects a range of fundamental human rights that are recognised in key international human rights treaties. The protected rights are set out across 23 sections of the Act. You will need to think about which rights are relevant to your work.
There are various resources available to deepen your understanding of the human rights protected in Queensland.
Watch this video for an overview of the human rights protected in Queensland
The Act tells us that an act or decision will be compatible with human rights if it either does not limit a human right or only limits a right in a way that is reasonable and justifiable.
We can assess whether any limits on human rights are justified by working through the proportionality test steps, which is set out in section 13 of the Act.
Watch this video to see the steps in the proportionality test
Learn more about human rights in Queensland: