The Discernable Interviews

Peter Fam: Understanding Human Rights in Australia

1hr 17min

12 July 2022

What are human rights? Do our laws create our human rights or do they simply recognise rights that pre-exist government?

Human rights lawyer Peter Fam joins us to explore the state of human rights in Australia and how the period 2020-2022 confirms the fears of many pracitioners: that human rights are not well understood by Australians.

Peter’s law firm Maats Method is making a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission stressing the duties and functions of the AHRC to investigate potential human rights abuses by governments around the country. You can read the full submission at: https://www.maatsmethod.com.au/post/australian-human-rights-commission-failed-to-perform-their-statutory-function-during-covid-19

In this discussion we explored the history and basis for human rights law in Australia, the realities of human rights advocacy in the legal profession, and the general misunderstanding of human rights principles.