Drinks with Hugh de Kretser

18 March 2026

Melbourne Forum members and guests engaged in a lively and informative session with Conversation Leader Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Hugh provided great context and insight for the discussion on the question 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢? A key learning was understanding the intent and positive impacts of Human Rights Acts or Charters that already exist in the states of Victoria and Queensland and in the ACT. Just the existence of this legislation tends to shape how the culture around public sector activities and human rights are shaped – in a really good way – in those jurisdictions. There have clearly been quite a few unsuccessful attempts to proceed with Human Rights legislation at the federal level. Discussion at the session provided some understanding of why that might be the case, while also focusing on potential pathways forward.