Defending Democracy and Human Rights

Introduction

Gillian Triggs, the now Former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, launched the Defending Democracy report at Progress 2017.

These aren’t ordinary times. These are dangerous times, they’re times when some of the most basic ideas that underpin our democracy that I have assumed since my law degree in the 60s were respected and enforced by Australian Laws. These are now under threat from government and political leaders, and it’s all the more dangerous because those most likely to breach our human rights are the very governments that are elected to serve community interest. The right to advocate and the right to freedom of political communication as part of the common law to freedom of speech are under threat.

Gillian Triggs, the now Former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, launched the Defending Democracy report at Progress 2017. She argued that advocacy is fundamental to our society but under threat with it increasingly difficult for people to speak up when they disagree.

7 Ways Forward to Defend Democracy

The Defending Democracy: Safeguarding Independent Community Voices report proposes 7 positive ways forward:

1. Introduce law reform to protect independent community voices
2. Amend funding agreements to enable and encourage advocacy
3. Make civil society advocacy a public service value
4. Make tax and charity laws work to encourage civil society to speak out
5. Resist a push to ban foreign donations to non-government organisations
6. Protect civil society participation in election campaigns
7. Push to restore funding to peak civil society bodies

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Explore Further

• Democracy Resource Hub
• Nonviolent Action and Pro-Democracy Struggles
• Democracy Undone: The Authoritarian’s Playbook
• How to Win Well: Civil Resistance Breakthroughs and the Path to Democracy
• Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy