Your Rights And Responsibilities Flashcards
What are rights? What are they separated into?
Rights are entitlements or permissions that can be either legal or moral in nature.
- Legal rights are enforceable by law through the court and for the right to exist it must be contained in and protected by the law.
- Moral rights derive from one’s own morals, values or ethics and are not enforceable by law ( ideas of right and wrong ). People can debate moral rights from different ethical viewpoints and may disagree on their existence / scope.
Outline responsibilities.
Responsibilities are legal or moral obligations / duties that a person may have to another person. Legal responsibilities are enforceable by law and where there is a right there is often a corresponding responsibility.
What is a bill of rights?
A bill of rights is a formal document that officially enshrines the minimum human rights that every citizen is entitled to and binds the government to comply with those rights.
Does Australia have a bill or rights? What are arguements for and against one?
Australia does not have a bill of rights.
Arguments for one include the improvement of human resources, accountability of the government and the protection of disadvantaged people.
Arguments against is are that the existing laws are enough, it would restrict government power, power to the courts.
What is defamation / the law of defamation?
The law of defamation prohibits the making of statements that harm another person’s reputation in the community and can provide a legal remedy if harmful comments are made.
A person cannot be sued for defamation if what they say is true, if it is their honest opinion with facts clearly stated, if they have a legal / moral / social duty to communicate the information
What is the universal declaration of rights?
The universal declaration of rights was agreed by the United Nations in 1948 as a powerful statement of minimum human rights and standards that all countries should comply with. It is not binding but it is very influential and some of the rights are backed by international treaties such as the international covenant on civil and political rights.
