Core Part II: Human Rights

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How effectively does Australian law protect the human rights of Indigenous Australians?

Investigate a contemporary human rights issue in depth, including the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

A focused answer to the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as a contemporary issue. Covers native title, the Stolen Generations, deaths in custody, the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the 2023 referendum on a Voice to Parliament, and current Closing the Gap data.

7 min answer →

What are the key international and Australian instruments protecting human rights?

Examine the formal statements of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants of 1966, and other key UN instruments

A focused answer to the key human rights instruments. Covers the UDHR 1948, the ICCPR and ICESCR 1966, the optional protocols, the Geneva Conventions 1949, the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, and Australia's ratifications.

5 min answer →

What are human rights, and how did the modern human rights framework develop?

Examine the nature and development of human rights, including the historical recognition of human rights, the abolition of slavery, trade unionism and labour rights, universal suffrage, universal education, self-determination, and environmental rights

A focused answer to the nature and historical development of modern human rights. Covers natural rights theory, the abolition of slavery, labour rights, suffrage, self-determination, and environmental rights, with key instruments and dates.

5 min answer →

How effectively are human rights promoted and enforced in Australia?

Investigate the promotion and enforcement of human rights in Australia, including the role of the Constitution, common law, statute law, courts and tribunals, and the Australian Human Rights Commission

A focused answer to human rights protection in Australia. Covers constitutional express and implied rights, common-law rights, anti-discrimination statutes, the Australian Human Rights Commission, state and territory human rights Acts, and the debate over a national bill of rights.

6 min answer →

How effectively does the international community promote and enforce human rights?

Investigate the role of the United Nations, intergovernmental organisations, courts and tribunals, NGOs and the media in promoting and enforcing human rights

A focused answer to how human rights are promoted and enforced at the international level. Covers the UN Charter system, the UN Human Rights Council, treaty monitoring bodies, the ICJ, the ICC, regional courts, NGOs and the media.

6 min answer →