Over 350 people gathered in the CBD Sky Phoenix Restaurant on Friday 19 October 2012 to support the NSWCCL Annual Dinner. David Marr, delivered the keynote address on Free Speech and the Politics of Hate.

David Marr said:

‘Political discourse has grown savage. Not in living memory have civility and liberty been so at loggerheads in this country. Voices clamour to defend the absolute free speech of racists, misogynists, bigots and liars. Hate merchants demand the right to spread hatred. Anti-vilification laws are under sustained attack. Yet a high public official is ruined for making private, unpleasant remarks about women’s genitals. We’re living in contradictory times. Where do those of us committed to free speech stand in a world where public discourse is both brutal and squeamish?’