For any civilised society having liberties that protect the citizenry from oppression is a fundamental pillar of freedom. The purpose of this RepresentUs Movement policy is to establish a clear framework for that to happen.
Whereas we the people of Australia, united in one indissoluble nation known as our Common Wealth, declare it the democratic duty of our parliaments, elected bodies and government officials to uphold, protect and advance our hard won liberties, and being:
Humble Humble in acknowledging the first owners and occupiers of this unique continent, whose ancestors have walked about on its earth for many thousands of years before British settlement:
Sorrowful Sorrowful for the dispossession, discrimination and degradation they have endured and resolved hereafter to respect their relationship with the land and to atone for past wrongs by future equity;
Proud Proud nonetheless of our progress from a penal colony to a free nation of boundless opportunity, unrestricted by divisions of class or caste or private wealth, and an example to the world of an ever present possibility of reformation of the human spirit;
Dedicated Dedicated to democracy as defined in the federal constitution, under which all who have a stake in our nation shall have a say in its governance;
Grateful Grateful for the British legacy of liberty first planted in this country by Governor Arthur Phillip, for Magna Carta’s great promise that no one will justice be denied or delayed, for jury trial and the importance of free speech, for a common law that presumes innocence and abominates torture and for the way these fundamental freedoms have been nurtured and embellished by generations of Australians;
Cognisant Cognisant of the achievements of our country in providing better ways of working through labour rights and collective bargaining and the basic wage;
Invigorated Invigorated by a creative culture that encourages innovation and the development of new ways of working and enjoying life;
Mindful Mindful that rights entail responsibilities, and that Australia expects its citizens to show tolerance, respect and mutual consideration for their fellows, to abjure violence and embrace peaceful change, and willingly share community burdens for the common good of the Commonwealth;
Determined Determined that all shall have a stake in the prosperity of this nation, and those most in need shall have a moral and legal claim on our compassion;
Inspired Inspired by the Anzac tradition of preparedness to fight for freedom, internationally and in our region, against any movement that threatens to extinguish the rights of humankind;
Respectful Respectful of the Universal declaration of Human Rights, in the drafting of which Australia had the privilege to participate, and of all the treaties we have ratified to uphold the dignity of individuals in this nation and throughout the world
Hereby resolve that the liberties our forbears struggled and sacrificed to achieve and which are set out in the following 29 paragraphs shall hereafter inure for the benefit of all who live in this land.
The purpose of the Charter of Australian Liberty is to provide all Australians with a clear statement of what constitutes their freedoms. Read More...
© Geoffrey Robertson QC