Right to Health

THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

• Enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical, mental and spiritual health without discrimination of any kind

• Vulnerable groups are to receive such positive discrimination that will ensure a high standard of health by both Australian and international standards.

• Access to a sufficient amount of safe and clean water for personal, domestic and communal use is fundamental to the realization of the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. Good governance, sound economic policies, and responsive democratic institutions are key to the full realization of the right

• People living in remote Australia should enjoy equity of access to all that is necessary to raise their health and their living conditions to an equitable Australian standard within a sound sustainable and ecological context.

• Enjoyment of air, water, land, workplaces, buildings in a healthful and life-sustaining manner free of toxicity or other threats to life and health

• Enjoyment of adequate and appropriate housing to meet changing climatic conditions

• Citizens and residents have the right to hold governments, government agencies and instrumentalities and similar organisations as well as corporations accountable for ecological degradation impacting on health and disease.

• Adverse ecological impact deemed to be within the parameters of human control can be taken to limit access to this right and may, therefore, be subject to judicial redress for those adversely affected and impacted.

Right to Adequate Food

THE RIGHT TO ADEQUATE FOOD

• Accessibility – price; availability.

• Quality - fresh; nutritious; healthful; pollutant free; free of genetic modification; disease free; cruelty free; non-damaging.

• Availability – distribution which provides fair and equal access to everyone; freedom to reproduce food plants and save seeds; freedom to lawfully grow food plants on private and public property.

• Food information – freedom of access to food information relating to diet, nutrition, health, food processing and production; freedom of information in respect to accessible, intelligible, easily understandable, and clearly laid out labelling of all food. Where food can be purchased without labelling, information must be provided by fact sheets and must be publicised on shelving and fittings where food is accessed in intelligible and easily understandable form.

• Food from animals – Must be cruelty free; must contain information relating to additives such as anti-biotics, growth stimulators. Food which appears to be free from animal products must be clearly labelled to be such or have the animal products boldly identified.

• Connectedness – the right to connectedness with the production of food so that there is widespread community understanding of animals, animal cruelty, use of pesticides and genetic modification; and any possible ecological harm or degradation brought about by food production.

• In no case, may citizens and residents be denied of their own means of subsistence except with regard to ecological degradation or to safeguard animal and plant species and their reproduction.

• Citizens and residents have the right to hold governments, government agencies and instrumentalities and similar organisations as well as corporations accountable for ecological degradation impacting on food and the rights outlined herein.

Right to an Environment of a Particular Quality

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THE RIGHT TO AN ENVIRONMENT OF A PARTICULAR QUALITY

• Citizens and residents of Australia may not be disadvantaged by an deleterious effect on the quality of their environment which may prevent their enjoyment of other rights such as the right to life; the right to water; the right to adequate food and the right to health

• People outside Australia have a special case for seeking asylum and refuge in Australia on the basis of adverse ecological impact within their own nation.

• The precautionary approach shall be widely applied by Australian governments and corporations. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent ecological degradation.

Right to Corporate and Private Accountability

Photo: Amnesty International, USA

THE RIGHT TO CORPORATE AND PRIVATE ACCOUNTABILITY

• Citizens and residents have the right to hold corporations, private actors, agencies, agents and instrumentalities and similar persons and entities accountable for ecological (inclusive of human social) degradation and despoliation impacting on the rights described here.

• Citizens and residents have the right to hold corporations, private actors, agencies, agents and instrumentalities and similar persons and entities accountable for cruelty and poor animal welfare practices in the supply of food.

Right to Life

RIGHT TO LIFE

• Every person has the right to life and has the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life and is entitled to access to the means of sustaining life including environmental wellbeing and sustainable co-existence with other species.
• Damage to the environment can impair and undermine human life and the life of other species with which humanity shares its existence. This may have intergenerational impact. In addition, environmental damage can impair and undermine all human rights.
• Every person has the right to a life free from cruelty and to live in a healthful and sustainable environment free from degradation and pollution and in which other species co-exist sustainably and free from cruelty.