What is human dignity as an Australian value?

Human dignity as an Australian value is the principle that every person has inherent worth and should be treated with respect, regardless of their background, abilities, circumstances, or actions. It underpins the country's commitment to equality, anti-discrimination, fair treatment in the legal system, healthcare and social services, and the broader protection of human rights.

Human dignity is reflected in Australian law in many specific ways. Federal anti-discrimination laws (the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and the Age Discrimination Act 2004) prohibit treating people less favourably because of who they are. Privacy laws protect personal information from unjustified disclosure. Workplace safety, harassment, and bullying laws protect people from being demeaned in their work. Aged care, disability, and child protection frameworks all reference dignity as a foundational principle.

The principle is also embedded in the human rights instruments that Australia is party to. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which Australia helped draft and to which the country is committed, opens with the recognition that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both ratified by Australia in 1980, build on the same foundation.

In everyday Australian life, human dignity is expressed through specific practices. The way patients are treated in Medicare-funded healthcare, the way welfare recipients are approached by Centrelink, the way prisoners are managed in correctional facilities, the way students are treated in schools, the way customers are dealt with by service providers, and the way employees are managed by employers all draw on the underlying principle. The 2023 Robodebt Royal Commission specifically named human dignity as having been violated by the automated debt-raising system, and subsequent reforms aimed to restore dignity to welfare recipients. Voluntary assisted dying laws, legal in all states since 2023, allow eligible terminally ill Australians to end their lives with medical support, reflecting an evolving view of dignity in the final phase of life.