A comprehensive collection of international, Australian and comparative human rights materials in one easy-to-use volume.

The international materials cover:

• The United Nations, including the Charter of the United Nations, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, the Geneva Conventions and the Statute of the International Criminal Court.


• Significant international human rights treaties to which Australia is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), as well as a selection of other international instruments, such as the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007).


• Communications to treaty monitoring bodies, including Toonen v Australia (1994), A v Australia (1997) and Fardon v Australia (2010).

Federal anti-discrimination statutes and state and territory human rights Acts are reproduced, as are important High Court cases on a range of human rights issues, such as rights protected by the Australian Constitution (Kable and Lange), and recent decisions on mandatory detention of asylum seekers (Al-Kateb v Godwin), anti-terrorism laws (Thomas v Mowbray) and slavery (Queen v Tang). Introductory commentary for each chapter plus annotations to key source documents assist in promoting an understanding of the context for each topic and offer guidance on additional reading and online sources.

The book is a useful resource for anyone with an interest in human rights generally, or in particular topics, including comparative mechanisms for the protection of human rights.

Features and Benefits

• Covers significant international, comparative and Australian sources


• Suitable for both courses focusing solely on international human rights and courses covering both international and Australian human rights


• Carefully selected source materials ensure relevance


• One convenient, easy-to-use volume suitable for use in open book exams


• Chapters contain introductory notes to enhance understanding


• Annotations to individual sources provide additional guidance, plus suggested reading and useful websites