Policies

Liberty Victoria has a wide range of policies on issues affecting human rights and access to justice.

View all our policies in one document

Liberty Victoria Policies

Liberty Victoria Policy on the Right to a Basic Standard of Living As part of a society which values and promotes human dignity, equality and freedom, a properly functioning social security system — that is, a system which is available, adequate and accessible to... View Policy	Climate Change Climate change has wrought devastating consequences in Australia — bushfires and floods have caused significant loss of life and mass displacement; bleaching events have affected large parts of the... View Policy	An Australian charter of rights Australia is the only Western democracy without some kind of charter or bill of rights. Though the Commonwealth Constitution contains some limited rights, such as the right to interstate trade and... View Policy	Right to justice The right not to be tried or punished more than once for an offence is commonly known as the rule against double jeopardy. It is a fundamental principle of the common law and underpins criminal... View Policy
Access to justice It is a fundamental principle of any democratic society that all those living within it have equal access to a justice system where they can expect, and be given, a determination of their rights... View Policy	Children and young people Children and young people are entitled to equality before the law and freedom from discrimination. Young people should be consulted about, and participate in, decisions affecting them. This rarely... View Policy	Police and policing Police powers should be exercised in aid of the rule of law. Persons granted power sometimes abuse it and police are no exception. Since the police exercise significant powers, it is essential for... View Policy	Freedom from discrimination and cultural rights The right to equality is fundamental. As a free-standing right it is declared in article 26 of the ICCPR, and as a condition of the enjoyment of all other rights it is enshrined in article 2 of the... View Policy
Freedom to take part in public life Freedom to take part in public life extends to the right to vote, the right to engage in political activity, the right to contest public office and the right to public employment. Like freedom of... View Policy	Protection of families and reproductive rights The protection of families is recognised in article 23 of the ICCPR and section 17 of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. Since families are the fundamental unit of society,... View Policy	Freedom of expression Freedom of expression includes not only freedom of speech but freedom of artistic expression and freedom to communicate generally. The right to engage in communication on political matters is one of... View Policy	Freedom of thought and belief The human right of freedom of thought and belief is fundamental and unqualified. It includes freedom of conscience, religion and belief and the free exercise of religion or belief. Though we take... View Policy
Right to privacy and freedom from surveillance The right to privacy is the right to be free from undue surveillance by Government or anyone else. Surveillance by the State should only occur if absolutely necessary and where authorised by an... View Policy	Freedom of association Freedom of association is fundamental to a free and democratic society. For a functioning democracy people must be free to form and join political parties. The right extends beyond the political... View Policy	Detention and the treatment of prisoners The right to liberty is not absolute and persons found guilty of serious crimes can properly be deprived of their liberty. But this should only happen after a fair trial and subject to proper... View Policy	Freedom from torture Torture is the intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering (of a physical or mental nature) on a person. The prohibition on torture arises from the need to protect the inherent dignity of the... View Policy
Right to liberty and freedom of movement Along with the right to life, the right to liberty is one of the most fundamental human rights. The right to liberty is the right of all persons to freedom of their person – freedom of movement and... View Policy	Human rights and the rule of law Liberty Victoria is dedicated to the protection, strengthening and promotion of civil liberties and human rights. These encompass a range of rights and entitlements that all should enjoy in a free... View Policy	Right to life The right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights. This right is based on the belief that every person has an essential right to live and a right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life.... View Policy