Public sector guidance sheets
Disclaimer
This material is provided to persons who have a role in Commonwealth legislation, policy and programs as general guidance only and is not to be relied upon as legal advice. Commonwealth agencies subject to the Legal Services Directions 2005 requiring legal advice in relation to matters raised in this guidance sheet must seek that advice in accordance with the directions.
Human rights guidance sheets contain information on the rights and freedoms in the seven core international human rights treaties to which Australia is a party:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- Convention on the on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The guidance sheets are designed to assist Commonwealth public officials involved in developing legislation, policy or programs.
They have not been prepared for the purposes of informing administrative decision-making.
Guidance sheet topics
- Rights of equality and non-discrimination
- Right to an effective remedy
- Right to life
- Right to self-determination
- Right to freedom from slavery and forced labour
- Right to freedom of movement
- Right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief
- Right to humane treatment in detention
- Right to security of the person and freedom from arbitrary detention
- Fair trial and fair hearing rights
- Presumption of innocence
- Minimum guarantees in criminal proceedings
- Prohibition on imprisonment for inability to fulfil a contract
- Prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Prohibition on retrospective criminal laws
- Right to respect for the family
- Protection from exploitation, violence and abuse
- Right to a name and acquire a nationality
- Right to freedom of assembly and association
- Right to take part in public affairs and elections
- Privacy and reputation
- Expulsion of aliens
- Rights of parents and children
- Right to work and rights at work
- Right to maternity leave
- Right to education
- Right to an adequate standard of living, including food, water and housing
- Right to health
- Right to social security
- Right to enjoy and benefit from culture
- Rights of people with disability
- Complaints mechanisms under human rights treaties
Information sheets
Human rights treaty bodies
Human rights treaty bodies are a useful source of information on treaty interpretation. This department has established a publicly accessible, online database of recommendations from the United Nations human rights system - United Nations Human Rights Recommendations Database. The database includes recommendations made by the United Nations human rights treaty bodies to Australia as well as recommendations made to Australia in the Universal Periodic Review.