Australia is one of the few western countries to lack a legal statement of its citizens rights. In this book, Geoffrey Robinson makes the case for a statutory charter of rights. The book is very much a contemporary argument - it was published in 2009 to coincide with an Australian Federal Government inquiry into the desirability of such a charter.

The book begins by exploring the history of human rights, Australia's participation in the development of international standards for human rights, and the very limited nature of rights as they exist today in Australia. It then makes the case for a statutory charter, before looking at the experience of such a charter in the United Kingdom. He then turns to contemporary Australian critics of such charters before presenting his own back-of-envelope proposal.

A key argument that Robinson makes. based on the experience of similar statues in Britain, Victoria, and the ACT, is that a charter need not bind the Parliament to be effective. This is an important argument in an Australian context. First, because critics often cite fear of "judges gone bad" making decisions against the will of the community. Second, because Australians prefer gradual change and a statutory charter may well be more palatable and easier to implement than a constitutional change.

While students of law and human rights may find they know a lot of what is here, for lay people like myself this is a very educational book. Further, I found the book's central argument compelling even if I did not agree with the need to include some of the rights in Robinson's "rainy afternoon" charter. This book deserves to be read by all Australians who are interested in their rights and liberties. ( )