Commentary
Chris Merritt has a weekly commentary in the Australian newspaper. These articles can be read by clicking on the links below or directly at the Australian.
Model Litigant rules
Model litigant rules (obligations) are guidelines for how a government ought to behave before, during, and after litigation with another government body, a private company, or an individual. Click here to go to Rule of Law Education Centre’s explainer and case studies on Model Litigants
28 October 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian ‘ABC must live up to the ‘model litigant’ standard’
22 October 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian ‘ABC not a model litigant in Andrew Laming defamation’
12 August 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian ‘Taxpayers pay the price for an unapologetic ABC’s defamation disaster’
Border Closures
For a simple explainer on Border closures and whether the Constitution allows the States to close their borders, click here.
31 December 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Victoria’s retrospective pandemic laws expose problems in Charter of Rights
21 March 2021: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Sharri Markson regarding COVID-19 vaccination discussion, stating that “the government has made a big mistake” in setting the October vaccine target.
25 February 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, High Court ruling on Clive Palmer’s border challenge is a step in the right direction
5 November 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian,Western Australia attempts to sidestep Clive Palmer’s border pursuit
14 October 2020: Chris Merritt on Sky News questioning “whether the lockdowns were declared for an improper purpose”.
13 October 2020: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Peta Credlin considering whether Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry “avoided the real issues”
8 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Daniel Andrews not so much a dictator as a world-class bungler
11 September 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Curfew ‘invalid’ and everyone can ignore it, says Michael Wyles QC
28 August 2020: Chris Merrit on Sky News with Peta Credlin considering the Victorian governments’ sacrifice of civil rights
13 August 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Equality before the law swept under the carpet by both sides in Palmer Case
ICAC
For a summary of the role of ICAC and the Rule of Law’s concerns about ICAC operating as a parallel system for justice, click here.
26 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, The Perrottet government must protect rule of law
25 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Ministers’ move to change NSW ICAC law rejected
21 May 2022: Chris Merritt book review in the Australian, Keeping them Honest?
19 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Federal ICAC: Who’s behind this and why?
06 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Scott Morrison is right: ICAC is just a kangaroo court
21 April 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, ICAC a poor model to follow if transparency matters
08 April 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, NSW ICAC Commissioner should take a big pay cut
15 March 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Yuendumu trial claims of race based bias in jury acquittal decision dont hold water
10 March 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Perrottet must address unlawful ICAC conduct
03 March 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, ICAC Inquiries damage reputations
05 January 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Inspector’s report strengthens calls for meaningful reform
22 December 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, There are better ideas on how to run an ICAC and NSW could learn from other states
16 December 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, ICAC’s apologists should stick to the proven facts
26 November 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, In technical terms, NSW ICAC is madness
18 November 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, ICAC reform plan looks likely to be toothless
08 October 2021: Margaret Cunneen on Alan Jones “Concerns over ICAC Reputations Damage’
07 October 2021: Questions over setting up of ICAC’s Gladys Berejiklian inquiry
02 October 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian ICAC sentences a Premier to the roughest injustice
26 July 2021: Chris Merritt with Samuel Griffith Society discussing the Obeid Case and the Presumption of Innocence. Click here for the transcript.
22 July 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Ian Macdonald and Obeid Convictions vindicate legal system, not ICAC
15 July 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian ICAC on trial as judge rules on Obeid inquiry
8 July 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian NT Parliament hopes for a resolution to Ken Fleming Controversy
1 July 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian NT anti-corruption boss Ken Fleming kept the media occupied
9 June 2021: Chris Merritt with the Centre of Independent Studies discussing if ICAC has gone too far?
22 April 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian The 16 Documents at the heart of ICAC overreach
18 February 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Reputational damage at heart of ICAC probe into Operation Bandicoot
11 February 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald verdict can give clarity on official misconduct
21 January 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Bleak pace of ICAC justice
14 January 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Richard Poole an innocent man paying the price for ICAC blunder
26 November 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Why Attorney-General Christian Porter ignored the ‘expert’ analysis
2 November 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Rule of law means no room for show trials
22 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, ICAC financial dispute muddies the legal waters
20 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, ICAC turmoil: Perfect timing for the latest show trial
15 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Gladys Berejiklian proof that ICAC public hearings are a disgrace that must stop
09 November 2020: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Alan Jones discussing how Federal ICAC unlike New South Wales where ‘people are convicted by headlines’
28 August 2020: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Sharri Markson discussing the exoneration protocol and that “It’s impossible for people to clear their names. There’s very limited accountability for ICAC.”
Attorney General
The Attorney General’s primary responsibility is to protect, preserve and promote the rule of law. Click here to read our simple explainer.
23 September 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Christian Porter’s blind trust avoids ‘conflicts of interest’
24 June 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Annabel Crabb texts bolster call for inquiry into ABC’s conduct on Christian Porter
17 June 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, The Question of ABC Malice lingers in Christian Porter Case
04 June 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Unsatisfactory end to Christian Porter defamation case
01 June 2021: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Chris Kenny discussing the legal implications of the Porter Case
03 March 2021: Chris Merritt on Bolt Report stating that the Prime Minister was “exactly right” for denying another inquiry into Christian Porter
04 March 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Attorney-General Christian Porter must not face trial by media
16 March 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Porter turns the tables on his media pursuers
18 March 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, ABC faces tough fight in Christian Porter defamation case
25 March 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Scott Morrison must tread carefully on Christian Porter
Class Actions
13 January 2022: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Government can restore original goal of class actions with bill
12 November 2021: Chris Merritt Opening address to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, Corporations Amendment (Improving Outcomes for Litigation Funding Participants) Bill 2021
11 November 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian, Parliament must protect class action customers
20 May 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Senate dithering keeps lawyers at the class-action trough
05 April 2021: Chris Merritt talking to Jason Betts about Litigation Greenmail, sourced by Daily Telegraph
10 March 2021: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Peta Credlin discussing the Victorian government’s plan to allow contingency fees to be paid to lawyers will “supercharge” the class action industry
07 January 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, A return to sanity for disclosure class actions
31 December 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Freeze on contingency fees in Senate crackdown led by James Paterson
17 September 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Premier Dan Andrews at risk from his class action fees creation
03 September 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Verdict on class actions: high costs, low benefits
September 2020: Report Prepared by Chris Merritt on Class Actions
Defamation
To read about the reform to defamation laws and a Case note on the Geoffrey Rush case, click here.
02 December 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Anti-trolling bill levelling the playing field for social media
12 August 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Taxpayers pay the price for an unapologetic ABC’s defamation disaster
11 August 2021: Chris Merritt talking to Andrew Bolt about Louise Milligan’s legal bill as a shocking waste of taxpayers money
08 April 20201: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Dylan Voller case puts online defamation in the dock
04 February 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian ABC/Nine loss in Chau Chak Wing case damages defamation reform calls
26 July 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Reform ‘won’t fix defamation’
24 July 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Curb on defamation mega-payouts to celebrities
03 July 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian United bid to make cap fit on defamation payouts to stars
02 July 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Ruling ‘no remedy’ for Eryn Jean Norvill
Rule of Law
19 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, New National Curriculum leaves Australian school children feeling ignorant
24 February 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Ukraine the front line in battle for rule of law
18 February 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, DPP Sally Dowling faces a tough call on Jarryd Hayne prosecution
25 November 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Rebalancing the nation’s human rights dialogue
06 May 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian Importance of appeal process on show after Alan Tudge vindicated
26 March 2021:Chris Merritt on Sky News with Peta Credlin on the NSW Governments retrospective criminal laws
12 March 2021: Chris Merritt speaks at the Australian Law Reform Commission on Judicial Impartiality
11 March 2021: Chris Merritt article in the Australian Judicial commission needed to help judges’ welfare
18 February 2021: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Alan Jones discussing how the High Court’s verdict on the deportation of non-citizens claiming aboriginality
16 February 2021: Chris Merritt on Outsiders “there is a distinction now in the constitution on the basis of race”.
11 February 2021: Chris Merritt on Sky News with Peta Credlin discussing how the High Court decision should have been ‘put to the people in a referendum’
28 January 2021: Chris Merritt article in The Australian It’s time to simplify and clarify our corporate law
17 December 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian War crimes can only be determined by a court
10 December 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Ron Sackville demonstrates that royal commissioners should stick to the script
19 November 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Premiers’ attacks on law the thin end of the wedge
12 November 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian High stakes in federal Attorney-General Christian Porter’s Mark Dreyfus law
29 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Christian Porter punts on junior judges for High Court
24 September 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Jim Spigelman’s Hong Kong exit sends China a clear message
Freedom of Speech
12 May 2022: Chris Merritt article in The Australian, Intellectual freedom at universities must be protected
1 October 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Sydney Uni academic Wojciech Sadurski at centre of free speech trial in Poland
22 July 2020: Chris Merritt article in The Australian Pyrrhic victory will damage James Cook University reputation