Every person in Queensland has the same human rights.
Our new Human Rights Act protects the freedom, equality and dignity of every person in Queensland.
There are specific obligations for public service employees under the Human Rights Act 2019.
Before you make a decision or take an action in your work, you must think about whether it will impact someone's human rights.
From public service officers, managers, teachers, nurses, police officers to front counter staff; we all have a role to play in respecting, protecting and promoting human rights. All sorts of different people with different needs use our service. There are a number of forms that they must complete which some people find difficult. It is my responsibility under the Human Rights Act to ensure that everyone can access our service equally, so we provide interpreters, offer alternative arrangements like accepting verbal statements in addition to written statements and meeting diverse accessibility requirements from physical access to technology support.
I am happy that the Human Rights Act names Right to Education for children as a specific human right. As a teacher, I see the importance of equal access for children with diverse needs to school and education and the Act now recognises this important right.
Under the Human Rights Act everyone in Queensland has the right to access health services without discrimination, including if they are culturally and linguistically diverse, live in regional and remote areas or have specific beliefs that they wish to follow.
It is my job to keep people safe, protecting their right to life and their physical safety which is called security of person. There are also a number of human rights specifically for people in the criminal justice system to ensure they are treated with dignity and equality.
Every person has the right to take part in public life, including working in the public service. Our recruitment policies must consider equality, for example whether holding a driver's licence is an essential requirement of a job, or whether a job sharing arrangement could work to provide protection of families and children.
Human rights is a big concept that begins in small ways.
How do you respect, protect and promote human rights in your work?