It is often said by those who oppose a federal Human Rights Act that there is no need for one. They argue that the human rights of Australians are more than adequately protected by the common law and statute. Anyone remaining of that view will be hard pressed to retain it should they read the comprehensive report on the subject prepared by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) entitled ‘Traditional Rights and Freedoms: Encroachments by Commonwealth Law’ (December 2015).