Human Rights Concepts in Australian Political Debate

This chapter begins by describing human rights use as a psychological response to injustice and is then followed by a discussion of the empirical findings. It presents empirical findings that suggest Australians assert human rights as one of a number of possible political responses to felt harm and perceived injustice. It also talks about the responses of the Australians to the existence of a mandatory sentencing scheme, and the exclusion of lesbians and single women from using assisted reproductive technology. It notes that despite the absence of an Australian bill of rights, respondents were motivated to use human rights arguments to press social justice claims. It explains that this willingness to use rights concepts challenges people to consider how to best provide mechanisms of human rights protection that remain relevant to the needs of aggrieved persons.