As we hurtle towards a post-human future, the absence of a human rights act in Australia will put us all at ever greater risk.

Human rights, which the Australian parliament has never managed to properly legislate despite overwhelming public support, risks becoming a dimly remembered artefact of another age at precisely the moment we need it most.

Artificial – authoritarian – intelligence, automated decision-making, independent assessment tools and algorithms will shape the lives we live and the public support we receive.

But human rights are not adequately legislated in Canberra – despite the recommendation of a parliamentary committee, a huge petition and campaign and effective laws in Victoria, Queensland and ACT. Now rights can easily be lost in an environment shaped by opaque algorithms and computers that say no.

The government has been patting itself on the back with its proposed digital duty of care – “my feed my way”, as the prime minister announced with uncharacteristic pithiness. It aims to introduce limits on the algorithms perfected by the global surveillance giants and give Australians the right to help shape the information they receive (but not its accuracy).

Meanwhile, the government is racing to use similar tools to that determine how much support people receive for essential services when they need them most. Kate Chaney’s private member’s bill is the only sign of........

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