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Research Paper On Human Rights In Australia

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Good morning/evening ladies and gentleman. What are Human Rights? Technically speaking, they are rights which are believed to belong to every person. Whatever nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion or language is spoken, everyone has human rights. Australia does not have a Bill of Rights, which provides specific freedoms to citizens and limits the power of the government. Rather, rights may be found in the Constitution, common law and legislation where acts are passed by the Commonwealth Parliament or State or Territory Parliaments. At age 17, children in Queensland do not have the right to vote, legally consume alcohol or get a tattoo, they need parental consent to obtain a passport or to marry. Yet in the eyes of the Queensland criminal justice system, they are viewed as adults. 17 year olds in Queensland are viewed as “too young” to make “adult decisions”, however if they commit a crime, they can be sentenced to imprisonment as an adult. If 17 year olds in Queensland do not have the right to participate in adult…show more content…
These laws are much more reasonable than Queensland’s as by the age of 18, most people have exited school and have known and experienced life in a real world environment. These adults now know what they have to lose and their minds are more mature and able to make decisions for themselves. All Australian jurisdictions should agree on and legislate a uniform age of criminal responsibility. A child should not be liable to be charged with a criminal offence in one State for an act which if committed in another would not attract liability only by reason of his or her
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