Human rights body collusion ‘chilling’

• AAP
• AAP
• February 09, 2014 12:09PM
• 
  

Tim Wilson has been appointed to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Picture: Stuart Mcevoy Source: News Limited

THE federal government will push ahead with plans to reform the Human Rights Commission which has lost its balance, Attorney-General George Brandis says.

In consultation with the Commission, the government is drafting legislation that will be brought to parliament in 2014.
“For far too long the Human Rights Commission has taken a narrow and selective view of human rights,” Senator Brandis told Sky News today.
“It's been operating as an anti-discrimination commission.” The changes will direct commissioners to consider the full range of human rights including freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of the press, the Liberal frontbencher said.
“I want the Commission to embrace a spirit of pluralism and diversity of opinion which has been noticeably lacking from its affairs in the recent past.”

Federal cabinet in December appointed Tim Wilson, a policy director at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) for the past seven years, as one of seven commissioners in an initial move that the government said would help to restore balance.
“One of the provisions of the Act that I want to repeal is this rather chilling provision that requires the commissioners to act collegially ... what they ought to do is act pluralistically,” Senator Brandis said.
The government also plans to create a freedom commissioner.