by Chris Merritt | Jun 6, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Human Rights, ICAC, Media Article
On September 25, 1991, when Gareth Evans was foreign minister, Bob Hawke’s Labor government made a series of promises on protecting human rights that the Albanese government seems determined to ignore. This says much more about the current government’s approach to...
by Chris Merritt | May 31, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Human Rights, Media Article
Long before this country began its experiment with state-based charters of rights, Australia had a system in place for protecting our liberties that, in the view of some, needed to be improved.That goal is perfectly reasonable. Legal infrastructure can always be made...
by Chris Merritt | May 23, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
Last Friday, when the leaders of the legal profession assembled in Sydney’s Banco Court, they were marking one of the great turning points in the struggle for power in early Australia. Officially, they were there to mark the bicentenary of the NSW Supreme Court and...
by Chris Merritt | May 16, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, ICAC, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
The decision to subject Walter Sofronoff, KC, to a corruption inquiry raises issues of principle that do not reflect favourably on the government of the ACT. The core of the problem relates to the erosion of one of the great principles of the rule of law – equal...
by Chris Merritt | May 10, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Freedom of Speech, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
Nine years ago, Colin Rubenstein identified weaknesses in the federal laws against inciting violence based on racial and religious hatred. Had his warning been heeded, it might have equipped federal authorities with some of what they need to crack down on the worst...
by Chris Merritt | May 2, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Commentary, Freedom of Speech, Media Article
The legend of King Canute has a lesson for lawmakers that must have escaped the attention of the geniuses who insisted on giving global reach to the Online Safety Act. Canute knew it was ludicrous to command the tides but he dragged his throne down to the beach and...
