Queensland Human Rights Commissioner says state human rights law should be enforceable

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Transcript

00:00From border closures to youth crime crackdowns and children in watch houses,

00:08no shortage of issues for Queensland's first human rights commissioner.

00:12I think the rights of children really have been at the forefront of my term.

00:17In an interview with the ABC ahead of the end of his seven year tenure,

00:21Scott McDougall reflected on the highs.

00:24The reform of Queensland's hate crime laws is probably one of the great achievements of the commission.

00:29And moments of dismay.

00:31Now it is lawful to detain a child in a watch house indefinitely.

00:37It's an extraordinary law to have on our statute books.

00:40He remembers visiting a 17 year old who'd been in a watch house for more than three weeks with no access to sunlight.

00:47The expression on that boy's face, it was really quite haunting and disturbing

00:53and I wish all Queenslanders could actually have seen it.

00:56I have to admit I have lost sleep at night worrying about children spending weeks and weeks.

01:04Queensland has had a Human Rights Act since 2020. Governments have overridden it several times.

01:11I couldn't say that there hasn't been lip service provided to human rights during my term.

01:18There certainly has. And that is a weakness of the legislation.

01:22Mr McDougall wants the act to be strengthened so it is enforceable.

01:27So if a person feels that their rights have been unjustifiably limited,

01:31they can just go to a court and seek remedies. That would be the ideal situation.

01:36Recruitment is underway for his successor, so does he have any advice?

01:40I certainly do have some tips that I'm happy to pass on.

01:47You