Incoming ACT human rights commissioner Penelope Mathew warns of populism's danger, need for constant vigilance

Penelope Mathew said one of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic was it demonstrated all people were vulnerable to human rights abuses, even when they belonged to groups or lived in places where they believed they were generally immune to rights issues.

"It's about continuing to underline the importance of upholding human rights for all of us, and that there's a risk of becoming complacent and losing what we have. We can all become vulnerable to human rights violations as we've seen in the pandemic," Professor Mathew said.

Professor Mathew said it was important to tell good stories of how communities reap the benefits from having rights protected for all people.

"We've got to remain committed to them for all people, and not let ourselves get distracted. Often governments will go on a kind of law-and-order campaign, for example. That's kind of appealing to the law-abiding majority, and we risk going overboard," she said.

Professor Mathew will on Sunday be announced as the successor to Helen Watchirs OAM as president and commissioner of the ACT Human Rights Commission.

Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne said Professor Mathew's appointment would strengthen the ACT's reputation as a progressive community with commitments to equality, inclusion and respect for diversity.

"As our city grows, it's vital that we continue to ensure appropriate human rights protections are in place for all Canberrans. I know that Professor Mathew will bring passion, intellect and vision to the task of building on Dr Watchirs' legacy so that we continue to lead the way nationally and internationally on human rights," Ms Cheyne said.

Professor Mathew previously served as legal and policy advisor to the ACT Human Rights Commission has been, since 2019, dean of Auckland Law School. Professor Mathew will take up her appointment in Canberra on October 23.

Professor Mathew said, as a child, she imbibed her parents' realisation things were not right with Indigenous people in Australia as a result of their experience of the civil rights movement in the United States.

Her mother would say being held up to the window at six months old to see Martin Luther King jnr speak was the origin of her interest in human rights, Professor Mathew said.

"And then as a law student, I really went into law school wanting to focus on things like international law and human rights, and was very lucky to be exposed to some leaders in the field," she said, pointing to teachers including Hilary Charlesworth, now an International Court of Justice judge, and Gillian Triggs, who later served as president of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

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Professor Mathew said her commitment to human rights strengthened as she did practical work with and for refugees.

"I'll never forget volunteering with the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Victoria as a very young lawyer. I was working with a Somali who was trying to find his family, trace his family, and get them out of the country and the things that he told me were just so shocking," she said.

"And once you've listened to stories like that, you really realise how important it is to try to contribute and make a difference."

Professor Mathew said telling people's stories remained an important way to keep the importance of protecting rights at the fore of public discussion.

"What they've had to endure and how they've come through things and how important it is to not repeat those kinds of mistakes ourselves or repeat the mistakes of the past is an important discussion to have," she said.

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