Australia does not generally agree to be bound[1] by a human rights treaty unless it is satisfied that its domestic laws comply with the terms of the treaty. Australia has agreed to be bound by the ICCPR and the ICESCR as well as other major human rights instruments, including:

The International Bill of Human Rights is made up of various declarations and conventions that articulate and protect universal human rights.

In Europe, assertions of individual rights evolved with the emergence of Nation-States. The Magna Carta, first issued in 1215, was an early legal document that granted certain rights to the English nobility by the King. The Magna Carta was reissued in different forms and reinterpreted in England over several centuries. Many of its rules were about the operation of feudal English society, though it influenced the development of rights in the common law. One of its most important innovations was the right of free men not to be imprisoned or punished except in accordance with the law.

Throughout history, different countries, societies and cultures have defined or clarified ‘human rights’ to suit their own contexts. In some communities, ‘human rights’ include a specific set of laws and legislation. In others, ‘human rights’ are simply guidelines that reflect the morals and expectations of individuals within that community.

"Our contemporary human rights system is heir to demands for human dignity throughout history and across cultures. It expresses the enduring elements of the world’s great philosophies, religions and cultures."

‘Human rights’ are defined by section 3 of the AHRC Act as the rights and freedoms contained in specific international instruments that are scheduled to, or declared under, the AHRC Act.