16 January 2009

ACT business says no to the human rights act

| johnboy
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The Australian is taking some joy from the failure of a single business in the ACT (RiotACT included) to opt-in to being bound by our human rights act.

As with any business we’d need someone to explain how it would help us make more money.

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Oh, and for jakez or anyone else who wants to buy their soap nuts locally: Brindabella Baby.

Human rights in business isn’t just about how you treat the staff who work directly for you.
Businesses can choose their suppliers based on ethical concerns. Like clothing retailers choosing sweatshop-free brands, or a cafe switching to fair trade coffee.

how would the human rights act be of concern to a business? do they want you to stop whipping staff,denying them tea breaks, toilet breaks, etc?

what a load of cr4p.

can the human rights act can be explained to me as to the relevance in business, anyone?

Care to share your business emd?

I am a fair trade retailer (I recommend ultra-eco-friendly soap nuts for caviar stains). Mr Peters and the CoC don’t represent anything I believe in. The last time I saw something from the CoC, it was a whinge about the imposition of a plastic bag ban on Canberra retailers. As jakez points out, businesses that do believe in being human rights friendly are just carrying on as normal. So I continue to source from suppliers who can prove they are treating their workers fairly, and I continue to use eco-friendly bags and packaging.

Regarding the Prius issue, they may be environmentally friendly to drive, but the batteries and therefore the car itself are a lot worse than other cars, when you talk about emisions from simply making them.

Yet our beloved govt makes it cheaper to regsiter them.

But that doesn’t really matter does it?

I can’t see why they would bother (are there any incentives built in?). If you don’t believe in what it says then you wouldn’t join and if you do believe in what it says then you’d just carry out your business in a ‘human rights friendly’ manner without bothering to be locked into something that could change.

I don’t think I’d agree with any of the parts of the Act that would have a business context anyway (with the possible exception of some environmental/property rights or fraud/safety matters). I haven’t looked at the Act in a long time though so can’t remember what all the sections are.

la mente torbida2:44 pm 16 Jan 09

PS: eco-friendy Earth soap can remove the caviar stains

la mente torbida2:44 pm 16 Jan 09

Bit of a woodchip on your shoulder S4anta?

Agreed. This whole shebang is similar to ethically grown eggs and driving a Toyota Prius. Your tea towelled, chardonnay sipping fat head can grow expotdentially while you bask in a self perceived glow that you are doing something useful, whilst not actually lifting a caviar stained finger

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy9:17 am 16 Jan 09

As if a business is going to waste time and resources on this stupid crap.

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