The author subjects the recently enacted Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) to a detailed series of criticisms. In particular, he considers the main operative provisions of this bill of rights, their provenance in the New Zealand and UK models, and the ways in which we can expect this instrument to hand significant powers to the judiciary.

Grégoire C. N. Webber explores how open-ended constitutional rights leave a constitution open to re-negotiation by the political process.

The value and legitimacy of using courts to limit the powers of governments in the domain of human rights is a significant ongoing debate. This book provides a critical review that explores the alternative means for protecting and promoting human rights. This group of twenty-four leading human rights scholars from around the world present a variety of perspectives on the disappointing human rights outcomes of recent institutional developments and consider the prospects of reviving the moral force and political implications of human rights values.