The Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law and AIAL (NSW Chapter) are pleased to invite you to a seminar on: Public Law and Protest in Australia. The seminar will be held online, via Zoom.
The NSW and Victorian parliaments have recently enacted laws which further restrict the right of Australians to protest. These laws have been challenged in the courts on constitutional, administrative and human rights grounds, and have also been subject to political and popular debate. This seminar will consider the scope of Australia’s protest laws and their public law, democratic and practical implications on the right to protest in Australia, from academic, practitioner and activist perspectives.
SPEAKERS
Padraic Gibson is an Associate Professor of History at the Jumbunna Institute, University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on the history of social movements in Australia, particularly the trade union movement and campaigns for Aboriginal rights. Paddy is also an activist with the group Solidarity and has been at the forefront of organising street protests in Sydney for the past twenty years around a range of issues including climate justice, anti-war campaigns and Aboriginal deaths in custody.
Felicity Graham is a barrister at Black Chambers with over 15 years experience as a lawyer focusing on criminal law and other public law matters. She has a particular interest in legal mechanisms for protecting fundamental human rights and for achieving police and government accountability. Before being called to the Bar in 2015, she was the Principal Legal Officer and Trial Advocate at the Aboriginal Legal Service in the Western Region of NSW. She is also a host of the popular legal podcast “The Wigs”.
Samantha Lee is a supervising solicitor at Redfern Legal Centre (RLC), where she leads the police accountability and administrative law practice. She has played a key role in several law reform campaigns and strategic litigation cases, including those related to COVID fines, strip search laws, and issues concerning children and fines. Prior to her current position, Samantha worked for many years as a lawyer at Legal Aid NSW and served as a policy advisor within the Criminal Law Division at the NSW Attorney-General’s office.
Maria O’Sullivan is an Associate Professor at Deakin Law School with expertise in human rights and public law. Maria is a leading academic expert on the law of protest, having authored and edited numerous articles, chapters and collections on the Australian and international legal frameworks governing protest laws.
Chair: Daniel Joyce is an Associate Professor at UNSW Law & Justice and the Director of the Free Speech, Social Media and Online Speech Project in the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. Daniel is an expert in international law, media and human rights.
Note: Except in WA, CPD points apply.
WA Practitioners attending should note that this event is not covered by the AIAL WA Chapter’s QA Provide accreditation and CPD points will not be accredited by AIAL.