On tables, doors and listening spaces: parliamentary human rights scrutiny processes and engagement of others

ABSTRACT According to some scholars, it is essential that parliamentary human rights scrutiny processes allow for engagement with and scrutiny from civil society actors. There has, however, been limited examination of how parliamentary human rights scrutiny processes unfold in Australia. Where does the work of rights scrutiny take place, who has a seat at the table, and how, precisely, does scrutiny work unfold? In this paper, we explore these questions, drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with former and current members of parliament, their staff and others directly involved in the scrutiny process. We explore their accounts of the scrutiny process, focusing on their descriptions of where and how committees do their work, who is at the table, who speaks and who listens. Drawing on Kay Lalor’s work on listening and Sara Ahmed’s work on being at the table, we consider how stakeholders attribute significance to doors, tables, speaking and listening. We argue that the different spaces and voices at play have a crucial role in establishing human rights norms within parliament; in other words, human rights is shaped by spaces and voices. This has implications for the credibility, integrity and rigour of parliamentary human rights scrutiny processes.