Basic human rights are being trampled on by "authoritarian" governments in Australia in the absence of a federal bill of rights, former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop has claimed.

In a speech to a Human Rights Arts and Film Festival forum in Perth today, Gallop said recent state laws, including confiscation of assets and unexplained wealth legislation, had "crossed the line" on people's rights.

Australia was the only democratic country without a bill or charter of human rights, leaving its citizens at the mercy of bureaucracies, Gallop said.

"What's missing in Australia, compared to a lot of other countries, is a consciousness that human rights are important," he said.

"Some of those laws come very close, if not cross the line, on human rights and we need to expose that so we have a proper debate," he said.

"I think a charter of rights is designed to put a spotlight on those things, which is exactly what we need," Gallop said.

The former WA premier is now a professor and director of Sydney University's Graduate School of Government. (ANI)