The Act covers the following categories of rights and freedoms:
Life and security of the person
Democratic and civil rights
Non-discrimination and minority rights
Search, arrest and detention
Criminal procedure, and
The right to justice.
All bills (proposed laws) are checked for consistency with the Bill of Rights Act before they are introduced into Parliament. If there is an inconsistency, the Attorney-General must inform Parliament. While this does not prevent Parliament passing inconsistent laws, it does ensure that any issues are known and discussed.