Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T16:54:58.546Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Constitutional Design and Australian Exceptionalism in the Adoption of National Bills of Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

Bruce Stone  and
Nicholas Barry
Bruce Stone*
Affiliation:
University of Western Australia
Nicholas Barry*
Affiliation:
La Trobe University
*
Political Science and International Relations, M257, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Email: bruce.stone@uwa.edu.au
Department of Politics, Philosophy and Legal Studies, School of Social Sciences and Communications, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Email: n.barry@latrobe.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Why has Australia not followed Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom in adopting a formal bill of rights at the national level? We argue that the Australian Constitution has made the difference. The Constitution has underpinned a comparatively strong parliamentary check on the executive, weakening the rationale for a bill of rights and impeding legislative initiatives towards this end; thwarted the drive for a constitutional bill of rights; and helped delegitimize statutory approaches to a bill of rights in general and the “dialogue model” in particular. The article ultimately questions the notion that a common approach to rights protection can apply across Westminster democracies.

Résumé

Pourquoi l'Australie n'a-t-elle pas suivi le Canada, la Nouvelle Zélande et le Royaume Uni qui ont tous adopté une déclaration des droits formelle au niveau national? Nous proposons que la différence est due à la Constitution australienne. La Constitution a sous-tendu l'exercice d'un contrôle parlementaire comparativement fort sur l'exécutif, affaiblissant le raisonnement pour une déclaration des droits et empêchant des initiatives législatives vers cette fin. La Constitution a non seulement contrecarré la poussée pour une déclaration constitutionnelle de droits mais aussi aidé à délégitimer des approches statutaires vers une déclaration de droits de façon générale et “le modèle dialogue” en particulier. L'article met en fin de compte en doute la notion qu'une approche commune à la protection des droits puisse s'appliquer dans toutes les démocraties de Westminster.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 767 - 785
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Banfield, Andrew and Knopff, Rainer. 2009. “Legislative versus Judicial Checks and Balances: Comparing Rights Policies across Regimes.” Australian Journal of Political Science 44 (1): 13–27.Google Scholar
Barry, Nicholas and Campbell, Tom. 2011. “Towards a Democratic Bill of Rights.” Australian Journal of Political Science 46 (1): 71–86.Google Scholar
Bateman, Will and Stellios, James. 2012. “Chapter III of the Constitution, Federal Jurisdiction and Dialogue Charters of Human Rights.” Melbourne University Law Review 36 (1): 1–40.Google Scholar
Bean, Clive and McAllister, Ian. 2009. “The Australian Election Survey: The Tale of the Rabbit-less Hat. Voting Behaviour in 2007.” Australian Cultural History 27 (2): 205–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brazier, Rodney. 1991. Constitutional Reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Byrnes, Andrew, Charlesworth, Hilary and McKinnon, Gabrielle. 2009. Bills of Rights in Australia: History, politics and law. Sydney: UNSW Press.Google Scholar
Campbell, Tom, Goldsworthy, Jeffrey and Stone, Adrienne, eds. 2006. Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights. Aldershott: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Chappell, Louise, Chesterman, John and Hill, Lisa. 2009. The Politics of Human Rights in Australia. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Creyke, Robin. 2006. “The Performance of Administrative Law in Protecting Rights.” In Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights, ed. Campbell, Tom, Goldsworthy, Jeffrey and Stone, Adrienne. Aldershott: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Commonwealth of Australia. 2010. Australia's Human Rights Framework. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Department of the Senate. 2010. Submission to Inquiry into the Future Direction and Role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee. http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=scrutiny/future_direction_2010/submissions/sublist.htm (22 December 2013).Google Scholar
Erdos, David. 2007. “Aversive Constitutionalism in the Westminster World: The Genesis of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act (1990).” International Journal of Constitutional Law 5 (2): 343–69.Google Scholar
Erdos, David. 2012. “The Rudd Government's Rejection of an Australian Bill of Rights: A Stunted Case of Aversive Constitutionalism?” Parliamentary Affairs 65 (2): 359–79.Google Scholar
Evans, Harry. 2009. “Having the Numbers Means Not Having to Explain: The Effect of the Government Majority in the Senate.” Papers on Parliament no. 52. In Harry Evans: Selected Writings. Canberra: Parliament of Australia.Google Scholar
Evans, Simon and Evans, Carolyn. 2007. “Australian Parliaments and the Protection of Human Rights.” Papers on Parliament no. 47. In National Parliament, National Symbols: Lectures in the Senate Occasional Lecture Series 2006–2007. Canberra: Parliament of Australia.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian. 1987. Politics of the High Court: A study of the judicial branch of government in Australia. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian. 1990. “Australia's Rejection of a Bill of Rights.” Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 28 (3): 344–68.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian. 1994. “Australia's Political Culture and Institutional Design.” In Towards an Australian Bill of Rights, ed. Alston, Philip. Canberra: Australian National University.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian. 1995. A Federal Republic: Australia's Constitutional System of Government. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian and Morton, F.L.. 2006. “Australian Exceptionalism: Rights Protection Without a Bill of Rights.” In Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights, eds Campbell, Tom, Goldsworthy, Jeffrey and Stone, Adrienne. Aldershott: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Galligan, Brian, Knopff, Rainer and Uhr, John. 1990. “Australian Federalism and the Debate Over a Bill of Rights.” Publius 20 (4): 53–67.Google Scholar
Gardbaum, Stephen. 2001. “The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism.” The American Journal of Comparative Law 49 (4): 707–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardbaum, Stephen. 2010. “Reassessing the New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism.” International Journal of Constitutional Law 8 (2): 167–206.Google Scholar
Hiebert, Janet. 2005. “Interpreting a Bill of Rights: The Importance of Legislative Rights Review.” British Journal of Political Science 35 (2): 235–55.Google Scholar
Hiebert, Janet. 2006. “Parliamentary Bills of Rights: An Alternative Model.” The Modern Law Review 69 (1): 7–28.Google Scholar
Horrigan, Brian. 2006. “Improving Legislative Scrutiny of Proposed Laws to Enhance Basic Rights, Parliamentary Democracy, and the Quality of Law-Making.” In Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights, ed. Campbell, Tom, Goldsworthy, Jeffrey and Stone, Adrienne. Aldershott: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Irving, Helen. n.d. Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation Committee. http://sydney.edu.au/law/news/docs_pdfs_images/2009/July%202009/HelenIrvingSubmission%5B1%5D.pdf (22 December 2013).Google Scholar
Irving, Helen. 2010. “The Dilemmas in Dialogue: A Constitutional Analysis of the NHRC's Proposed Human Rights Act.” University of New South Wales Law Journal 33 (1): 60–87.Google Scholar
Jackson, William Keith. 1972. The New Zealand Legislative Council: A Study of the Establishment, Failure and Abolition of an Upper House. Dunedin: University of Otago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kildea, Paul. 2003. “The Bill of Rights Debate in Australian Political Culture.” Australian Journal of Human Rights 9 (1): 65–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knopff, Rainer and Morton, F.L.. 1992. Charter Politics. Scarborough: Nelson Canada.Google Scholar
Lee, H.P. 2003. “The Implied Freedom of Political Communication.” In Australian Constitutional Landmarks, ed, Lee, H.P. and Winterton, George. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Leeser, Julian and Haddrick, Ryan, eds. 2009. Don't Leave Us with the Bill: The Case Against an Australian Bill of Rights. Barton, ACT: Menzies Research Centre.Google Scholar
Lijphart, Arend. 2012. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
McHugh, Michael. 2009. A Human Rights Act, the Courts and the Constitution. Presentation at the Human Rights Commission. http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/human-rights-act-courts-and-constitution-hon-michael-mchugh-ac-qc-2009 (22 December 2013).Google Scholar
Momcilovic v. The Queen [2011]. High Court of Australia, 34.Google Scholar
National Human Rights Consultation Committee (NHRCC). 2009. Report. Barton, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Otto, Diane. 2001. “From ‘reluctance’ to ‘exceptionalism’: The Australian approach to domestic implementation of human rights.” Alternative Law Journal 26 (5): 219–22.Google Scholar
Palmer, Geoffrey. 1992. New Zealand's Constitution in Crisis: Reforming Our Political System. Dunedin: John McIndoe.Google Scholar
Patapan, Haig. 2000. Judging Democracy: The New Politics of the High Court of Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Russell, Meg and Sciara, Maria. 2007. “Why Does the Government get Defeated in the House of Lords? The Lords, the Party System and British Politics.” British Politics 2 (3): 299–322.Google Scholar
Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills (SSCSB). 2012. Final Report: Inquiry into the future role and direction of the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee. Canberra: Senate.Google Scholar
Sharman, Campbell and Stuart, Jan. 1981. “Patterns of State Voting in National Referendums.” Politics 16 (2): 261–70.Google Scholar
Sharman, Campbell. 1989. “The Referendum Results and their Context.” In The Constitutional Referendum and the 1988 Referendums, ed. Galligan, Brian and Nethercote, J.R.. Canberra: Centre for Research on Federal Financial Relations and Royal Australian Institute of Public Administration (ACT Branch).Google Scholar
Smith, David E. 2003. The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Stone, Bruce. 2005. “Changing Roles, Changing Rules: Procedural Development and Difference in Australian State Upper Houses.” Australian Journal of Political Science 40 (1): 33–50.Google Scholar
Twomey, Anne. 2009. Submission to the National Human Rights Consultation Committee, May 5. http://sydney.edu.au/law/news/docs_pdfs_images/2009/July%202009/AnneTwomey.pdf (22 December 2013).Google Scholar
Uhr, John. 2006. “The Performance of Australian Legislatures in Protecting Rights.” In Protecting Rights Without a Bill of Rights, ed. Campbell, Tom, Goldsworthy, Jeffrey and Stone, Adrienne. Aldershott: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Williams, George. 2010. “The Future of the Australian Bill of Rights Debate.” University of New South Wales Faculty of Law Research Series, paper 39. http://law.bepress.com/unswwps-flrps10/art39 (22 December 2013).Google Scholar
Williams, George and Burton, Lisa. 2013. “Australia's Exclusive Parliamentary Model of Rights Protection.” Statute Law Review 34 (1): 58–94.Google Scholar
Woodward, Dennis. 2010. “WorkChoices and Howard's Defeat.” Australian Journal of Public Administration 69 (3): 274–88.Google Scholar