What are the rights and responsibilities of an Australian citizen?

The types of rights are human, social and economic, and civil and political.

Types of rights.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Types of rights.

The types of rights are human, social and economic, and civil and political.

Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au)

Description

This graphic explains the different types of rights:

  • Human rights – the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They can never be taken away.
    • life
    • food
    • work
    • liberty
  • Social and economic rights – rights we need in order to live with dignity.
    • housing
    • healthcare
    • sanitation
  • Civil and political rights – rights we need to be able to participate in society as free and active citizens.
    • freedom of movement and assembly
    • freedom of speech
    • right to protest
    • freedom of religion 

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Great question. Rights are a key principle of Australia’s democratic system of government. Our rights come from a range of sources, including international law, laws made by the Australian courts (common law) and laws made by the Australian Parliament (statute law). 

Some of our rights include:

  • Human rights, such as the right to life, work and safety
  • Social and economic rights, such as healthcare and housing
  • Civil and political rights, such as freedom of speech, assembly and religion

If you want to know about the responsibilities of Australian citizenship, take a look at the Department of Home Affairs information on being an Australian citizen.