Ahead of the introduction of the Human Rights Bill 2025 to the NSW Parliament a group of 117 organisations and individuals endorsed an open statement calling on all NSW Parliamentarians to support the establishment of a public inquiry into a Human Rights Act for New South Wales.

The open statement was coordinated by the Human Rights for NSW Alliance who issued a media release outlining the importance of an inquiry into how we can better protect human rights in NSW.

Some of the individuals who signed on in support of the open statement include:

• The Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC

• Professor Emeritus Ron McCallum AO, retired, former Chair United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

• Professor Ben Saul, Challis Chair of International Law at The University of Sydney and United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism

• Dr Graeme Innes AM, Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner

• Adjunct Professor Nicholas Cowdery AO KC FAAL

• Professor Edward Santow, UTS (Australian Human Rights Commissioner 2016-2021)

• Mary Crock, Professor of Public Law, Sydney University Law School

• Craig Foster AM

• Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt

Some of the organisations who endorsed the open statement include:

• Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
• New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties
• Community Legal Centres NSW
• People with Disability Australia
• Justice and Equity Centre
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia
• ANTAR
• Homelessness NSW
• NSW Society of Labor Lawyers
• Human Rights Law Centre
• St Francis Social Services
• Refugee Council of Australia
• Knowmore Legal Service
• National Justice Project
• Centre for Disability Studies
• Mums for Refugees NSW Inc
• Disability Rights Connect
• Tenants Union of NSW
• Trans Justice Sydney
• Save the Children & 54 Reasons
• Mid North Coast Legal Centre
• National Regional, Rural, Remote and Very Remote Community Legal Network
• Seniors Rights Service
• Council for Intellectual Disability
• House of Welcome
• Being Mental Health Consumers
• Deaf Australia
• Women’s Electoral Lobby
• SHINE for Kids
• ACON
• Uniting NSW.ACT
• Equality Australia
• Australian Lawyers Alliance
• Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT
• NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS)
• Mental Health Coordinating Council
• Flourish Australia
• Environmental Defenders Office
• Wayside Chapel
• St Vincent de Paul Society NSW
• Amnesty International Australia
• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia
• Grata Fund
• Shelter NSW
• Women’s Legal Service NSW
• Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
• AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation
• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• Digital Rights Watch
• Create Foundation
• Bravehearts
• International Commission of Jurists (Australian Section) Section
• Asylum Seekers Centre
• Maternity Choices Australia
• Act for Kids
• Josephite Justice Network
• Welfare Rights Centre
• NSW Teachers Federation

Read the full list of signatories here.