Waiting for the Great Leap Forward from the Campaign for a Human Rights Act in Australia

Australia needs a Human Rights Act, but the prospects of securing one are diminishing.

The June 15 deadline for submissions to the National Human Rights Consultation has passed with little fanfare. Aside from Amnesty International's exchange of 10,000+ submissions to panel member Mary Kostakidis, there was very little pro-rights media to mark the event.

Infact, the only other event to get National media attention was the No Bill campaign's launch of Don't Leave us with the Bill, a book commissioned by the Menzies Research Centre. Championing the No Bill case was guest speaker, former Defence chief and prominent Catholic, Peter Cosgrove. The No Bill campaign achieved National radio airplay on ABC's The Law Report.

Where was the Australian Human Rights Group, that loose affiliation of progressive organisations strategically promoting the pro-rights cause? Regretably, nowhere to be seen.

I am waiting for a great leap forward from the Campaign for a Human Rights Act.

Revolution, says Billy Bragg, is just a t-shirt away. How you can run a pro-rights campaign without a centralised slogan, badges and branding and a tailored media strategy aimed at getting round the press's hostility and lack of interest is anyone's guess.