The government’s Human Rights Consultation has received tens of thousands of submissions, by far the largest number ever made to a government process in this country.

Over 10,000 people including schoolchildren, university students, professionals, people from diverse backgrounds and people in regional and rural communities have added their voices to call for a Human Rights Act for Australia by making a submission through Amnesty International to the consultation process.

The thousands of submissions Amnesty International has collected from the general public show overwhelming support for a Human Rights Act.

Here are just a few of the comments from the thousands of submissions:

“While our current laws provide some good protections, it is in an ad hoc way, with gaps and no overall vision, and can be suspended. We need a Human Rights Act!” Julie, ACT

“Australia should follow the rest of the world’s democratic nations and enshrine in legislation basic human rights that every Australian is entitled to. It will make it much easier to uphold these ideals and limit human rights abuses.” Leslie, NSW

“Human rights are sacred and need to be protected in both the developed and developing world. Countries that theoretically protect and promote human rights need to be held accountable and have checking procedures.” Alison, NSW

“Why are we one of the few Western countries which doesn’t have Human Rights legislation?” Bill, QLD

A recent opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International found that 81 per cent of people surveyed would support the introduction of a law to protect human rights in Australia. The Nielsen survey results also showed that 85 per cent of those who support the introduction of human rights legislation believe its introduction should be a high or very high priority for the Australian Government.

Amnesty International also made a formal submission to the National Human Rights Consultation.