Australia: Public Order

The NSW Court of Appeal has struck down sweeping anti-protest laws enacted after the Bondi Beach terror attack, ruling that police powers to ban public assemblies across broad geographic areas violated constitutional protections for political communication. The landmark decision examines whether governments can impose blanket restrictions on peaceful protests during times of heightened security concerns, and what constitutional limits exist on such powers.

Jaywalking is seen to present a danger to both pedestrians and traffic which has led to its criminalisation in many jurisdictions.

There are laws in place to ensure that Police do not abuse the arrest powers they have been granted.

An AVO is designed to protect individuals from harm or threats. It is a civil matter unless breached—then it becomes criminal.

These two incidents involve excessively violent use of force on a civilian under vastly different circumstances.

Our case studies reflect our deep commitment to defending the rights of vulnerable individuals.

Bill expands scope of hate-related offences, inserting new hate crime offences and mandatory minimum prison sentences.

New Law creates new criminal offences and increases maximum penalties for a number of existing offences.

Public protest, or the ongoing suppression of it, continued to be a key issue on the state's political agenda in 2024.