by Chris Merritt | Oct 4, 2024 | 18C, Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article
Late last year it should have been apparent to federal parliament that law alone might not be enough to prevent terrorist sympathisers displaying public support for banned organisations. Yet here we are, days away from what could be damaging displays of public support...
by Chris Merritt | Oct 3, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
Those who failed to enforce the law against terrorist sympathisers in Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend have some explaining to do. Why did they permit supporters of Hezbollah in Sydney and Melbourne to defy federal law with impunity? Was it simple ignorance about...
by Chris Merritt | Sep 27, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article
Fifteen years ago, American lawyer Ilya Shapiro wrote a concise and devastating critique of vague statutes. It must have been missed by those who drafted the latest version of the federal government’s plan to outlaw the online dissemination of misinformation and...
by Chris Merritt | Sep 13, 2024 | 18C, Attorney General, Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article
Mark Dreyfus has taken a big step in the right direction with federal hate-speech laws that target the most serious threat confronting the Jewish community. And he has done so while avoiding over-reach and eliminating a get-out-of-jail card for hate preachers that...
by Chris Merritt | Sep 6, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
After each election, new members of federal parliament are given a briefing about the workings of the nation’s peak law making body. Recent events have made it clear that these briefings need to spend more time spelling out the difference between arbitrary rule and...
