Human Rights Law

The basis of human rights is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December, 1948 and ratified by member states.

It pledged many basic human rights, including that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (Art.1);

That everyone is entitled to all these rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status (Art. 2);

And to equal protection of the law, without discrimination (Art. 7).

These rights include: that no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (Art. 9);

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal (Art. 10);

Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty (Art. 11);

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks (Art. 12);

Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution (Art. 14);

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Art. 18);

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers (Art. 19);

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment…without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work…and to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests (Art.26).

Human Rights law touches and concerns many areas of international and domestic law.

The right to privacy is a fundamental human right contained in Art. 12: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy. Personal information is protected from unauthorised disclosure by the Privacy Act, 1988 (Cmth.) amongst other hard law legislation. It is a criminal offence for a person to disclose it, with various exceptions. In the era of global instantaneous electronic communications, invasions of privacy are an increasing risk to this basic human right.

Tyndall & Co. offers legal services in those areas of law.

Papers delivered on human rights and pro bono law

Why should lawyers give more of their time for free?
Talk and paper delivered at U3A Speaker Forum, Brunswick Heads, Tuesday 22 February 2011

Pro Bono Publico- Giving as an art
Lecture and paper delivered Bond University Law School, Wednesday 21 October 2009