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Genocide Bill

What is the Genocide Bill? 

All victims and survivors of Genocide should be able to seek justice through legal systems that adhere to international standards and are free from political interference.

No politician should get to say who can and can’t be held accountable to crime in our legal system, especially for something as heinous as Genocide.

But right now in this country, the Attorney-General has unchecked power to block prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity from proceeding in our courts. This power is called the AG’s fiat.

This is completely against the intention of the UN’s Genocide Convention, which is based on our shared responsibility to prevent the very worst of humanity.

That’s why I introduced a Private Senators Bill to strip the Attorney-General of this unjust and dangerous veto power to parliament, the Criminal Code Amendment (Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes) Bill 2024

The Bill would prevent political interference in this process and also mean that governments can be held accountable for their own actions - both here and overseas.

You can read more on the background and purpose of the Bill here.

 

In short, my Bill would:

  • Remove the requirement for the Attorney-General to consent to atrocity crime cases. This means anyone can file for proceedings on these crimes in a court.
  • Allow cases blocked by previous Attorneys-General since 2002 to be reviewed. 

 

Find out more:

The Inquiry: What is it and next steps 

What is genocide?

Sign the Petition