by Chris Merritt | Nov 16, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
The legislative fix that has just been unveiled in Canberra is more than a week late and leaves most of the problem unaddressed. This package should have been before parliament at 4.37pm on Wednesday last week – one minute after the High Court announced it...
by Chris Merritt | Nov 15, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
The most startling aspect of the latest High Court decision is not the fact that murderers and rapists have been freed from indefinite immigration detention. The outcome might be shocking but the court has not gone mad. And if the government had its eye on the ball it...
by Chris Merritt | Nov 10, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Human Rights, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
Five years ago, when Vic Alhadeff was chief executive of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, he led a long and successful campaign that should have been a body blow to those who incite racial and religious violence.That campaign persuaded the NSW government to introduce...
by Chris Merritt | Nov 3, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Human Rights, Media Article
What an amazing coincidence. Just as a parliamentary inquiry is considering whether Australia needs a federal charter of rights, a global report has identified a relative weakness in this country’s protection of fundamental rights. It would be a mistake, however, to...
by Chris Merritt | Oct 26, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Human Rights, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act is fast emerging as one of the greatest examples of legislative deception. It promised to introduce a new era of rights-respecting governance by forcing public authorities to act in ways that are compatible...
by Chris Merritt | Oct 19, 2023 | Chris Merritt, Media Article, The Voice: Uluru Statement
The voice referendum looks set to have an impact its proponents could never have imagined: equality of citizenship has been restored as the guiding principle of Indigenous affairs.It prevailed with ease over the patronising idea that Aborigines and Torres Islanders...