Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Bill of rights

Mr QUILTY (Northern Victoria) (12:48): The Liberal Democrats do not trust governments exercising power. We believe the old truism that power corrupts. This means that governments are dangerous. They wield the power of the law and the police. They are the only ones that can authorise violence and truly get away with it. Sometimes politicians lie. They use their power to get more power. They use it for career advancement and personal gain. There need to be real limits on government power, and not just an election every four years, which gives the government time to paint over all the ugly bits.

That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a bill of rights. We need to enshrine our fundamental freedoms and protect them from our own government of whatever party. We need a document that says the reason we have a government in the first place is to secure our liberty and in particular to secure our individual rights. We need to protect the rights to free speech, assembly, petition and conscience. We need to secure the rights to due process, to a public trial and against self-incrimination. These rights are not only fundamental liberties that are owed to every individual; they are also checks against government power. Victoria’s experience through the pandemic has taught us that Victorians are dangerously exposed to the abuse of government power. Every time government power is used to limit our rights the door is pushed open further. You might support the current government using that power, but every future government can and will wield that power too. Victorians need to protect their freedoms. We need a bill of rights.