The Australian Human Rights Commission has called on the Government to take more action to prevent human rights harm resulting from the actions of businesses.
The Commission’s Report, At the Crossroads: 10 Years of Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Australia 2021, produced in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Institute at the University of NSW, examines how the United Nations principles have been implemented in Australia.
President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Rosalind Croucher said the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were recognised as the global standard for Governments and business around preventing and addressing business-related human rights harm.
“These Principles were unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011 and the Australian Government co-sponsored this resolution at the UN,” Professor Croucher said.
“These Principles, which set expectations for Governments and businesses, are increasingly being incorporated into law, policy and business practice and standards globally.”
Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, Justine Nolan said the Government must accept the need to remediate harm so that there was accountability for business-related impacts wherever they occurred.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequalities at the heart of the global economic system,” Professor Nolan said.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need for stronger social safeguards and a people-centred approach to business,” she said.
Professor Croucher said the Report considered a range of key human rights issues in the Australian business context, including combating modern slavery; addressing the human rights impacts of climate change; respecting the land rights of First Nations Peoples; and ensuring victims had access to remedies.
She said the Report also suggested a range of policy and legislative updates that could be introduced by the Australian Government, including strengthening Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018 and legislating for mandatory human rights due diligence by companies.
The Commission’s 54-page Report can be downloaded at this PS News link.
