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 | Apr 11, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Human Rights, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
The revolt over proposed restrictions on religious schools is close to uniform among the nation’s peak religious leaders. But that does not mean the threat to religious freedom is close to defeat. A parliamentary committee has been working on a second plan that could...
by Chris Merritt | Mar 19, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
The High Court, like all institutions, is not perfect; it has been known to make some decisions that are best described as unfortunate.It is, however, a bit rich to blame the judges for decisions that have not yet been made. But that seems to be the government’s...
by Chris Merritt | Feb 23, 2024 | Chris Merritt, Freedom of Speech, Media Article, Rule of Law Issue
There is only one thing worse than having no law to address criminal conduct, and that is having a law that is not enforced.This has the perverse effect of encouraging the very conduct that should have been suppressed, while destroying public confidence in one of the...
