The Andrews Labor Government will improve Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to strengthen the state’s human rights culture.
In delivering the opening address at the 2016 Castan Centre Annual Human Rights Law Conference, Mr Pakula responded to recommendations made by the 2015 Review of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, conducted by Michael Brett Young, former CEO of the Law Institute of Victoria.
The new reforms will refresh the Charter and further embed the values of freedom, respect, equality and dignity in Victorian society.
The Labor Government is supporting or partly supporting 45 of the 52 recommendations, which will help to strengthen human rights culture in Victoria and make the Charter more effective, accessible and practical.
A major focus of the Government’s response will be to ensure that an appropriate human rights culture continues to be built in the Victorian public sector.
To do this, the Government will prioritise human rights training and education for public sector employees.
The Department of Justice and Regulation will provide an additional $1.25 million this financial year to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the department's Human Rights Unit.
The additional funding will be used to develop human rights resources, deliver training across the public sector and deliver the staged implementation of key recommendations supported by Government.
The 2015 review involved more than 60 face-to-face meetings, eight open community forums, and 109 written submissions to ensure a range of views and experiences informed the recommendations in the report.
For the full response to the report’s recommendations, visit
Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Martin Pakula
“The Andrews Labor Government is working hard to rebuild and strengthen Victoria’s human rights culture.”
“This important review identifies ways in which the Charter is working well, and makes suggestions about how we can better protect people’s human rights.”
“One of our priorities will be to ensure that public sector employees, who are primarily responsible for ensuring people’s human rights are respected, receive appropriate training.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020