SMH: NSW parliamentarians speak out at forum of anti-trans campaigners
On Thursday 22 June NSW parliament hosted a forum organised by the Liberal Democrat MP John Ruddick and emceed by failed federal Liberal candidate Katherine Deves. NSW parliamentarians have since been criticised for speaking at the forum of anti-trans campaigners held at Parliament House this week, including a government MP who labelled pushback against their campaigns as “totalitarian”, SMH's Michael McGowan reports.
Josh Pallas, President of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties, described some of the comments made at the forum as “harmful and discriminatory”, saying that the rhetoric of the anti-trans movement “increased the mental harm towards the trans community” at a time when the queer community was facing increased hostility.
Read moreIndependent Australia: Voice referendum a possible step towards Constitution renewal
The Voice to Parliament referendum proposal has now become law as of the 19th of June 2023 when it was passed in the Senate with 52 for and 19 against, Klaas Woldring reports.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) First Nations Justice Action Group strongly supports the proposed Constitutional alteration bill.
Read moreCongratulations to Cassandra Wilkinson for her appointment to SBS Board as non-executive director
The Albanese Government has appointed Cassandra Wilkinson as a non-executive director to the SBS Board for a five-year term.
NSW Council for Civil Liberties congratulate Cass on this new role and wish her the best. During her time with us, she has been an invaluable member of CCL, serving as Vice President, a committee member and part of our Annual Dinner organising team.
We thank Cass for her significant contributions to NSWCCL.
Submission: Call for Inputs from the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of human rights in the context of climate change
Ian Fry, Australian National University Professor and Tuvalu’s former ambassador for Climate Change for over 21 years, was appointed in May 2022 by the UN Human Rights Council, as the first Special Rapporteur on climate, following the overwhelming vote to recognize the Right to a Healthy Environment, in 2021.
Recently the Special Rapporteur called for inputs on the promotion of human rights in the context of climate change.The NSW Council for Civil Liberties welcomed the opportunity to make a submission.
Climate change is an urgent threat to humanity and to the full enjoyment of fundamental human rights. Threats to the environment are threats to everyone, and collaborative efforts at national, regional, and global levels are required for effective climate action.
Read moreSubmission: National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004 (Cth)
The NSW Council of Civil Liberties considers that urgent reform of the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004 (Cth) is required. The federal government has flagged amendments to national security laws to ensure that the near total secrecy that hid the prosecution and imprisonment of a former Australian intelligence officer cannot happen again.
While we applaud this sentiment, we are concerned that the NSI Act is easily abused for political ends, prescribes a misguided objective, and fails to provide adequate protections that would ensure open and fair justice in the trials to which it applies. We need action.
Having regard to the significant issues with the current NSI Act, the Council submits that it is not fit for purpose and that urgent legislative overhaul is required. We are agnostic as to whether this should occur via wholesale legislative reform to the existing NSI Act, or by repealing and replacing the current regime. What is important, however, is that the reformed version of the regime ensures better protections to parties’ rights and open justice, and adequate procedural limits on the exercise of powers under the NSI Act.
Read moreSubmission: The operation of Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) laws
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties welcomed the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in regard to its inquiry into the operation of Commonwealth Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.
This inquiry came about after the Greens, Coalition and crossbench teamed up to force the issue. The FOI commissioner, Leo Hardiman, announced his resignation earlier in March citing his lack of powers to make changes necessary to improve the timeliness of reviews of FOI decisions.
The former senator Rex Patrick has brought a federal court case challenging lengthy delays in the FOI review process. He has warned that vast delays plague Australia’s “broken” freedom of information system and are shielding the activities of government from scrutiny.
Read moreCongratulations to former President, Cameron Murphy on his inaugural speech in parliament
On Thursday June 1, former NSWCCL President, Cameron Murphy, gave his inaugural speech in NSW Parliament as a member of the NSW Legislative Council.
NSWCCL congratulates Mr Murphy on both his appointment to the Legislative Council and a successful and moving inaugral speech in parliament.
Cameron Murphy was NSWCCL's longest serving President from 2000 to 2013 and to commemorate that laudable achievement, received a NSWCCL life membership in 2013.
Read moreProtest Action: No New Coal and Gas Repeal the Anti-Protest Laws
The new Labor government in NSW is taking power at a crucial time, with the fate of the world’s climate hanging in the balance.
When: 12pm, Monday June 5
Where: Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park North
What: March to NSW Parliament House
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that urgent action to drastically reduce emissions is required to avoid catastrophic climate change. This means an immediate end to the expansion of the fossil fuel industry and a rapid transition to sustainable industries for workers and communities currently reliant on fossil fuels.
Read moreReport: Review of Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018
NSWCCL made a submission to the Modern Slavery Review Team in November 2022 outlining four key recommendations to the legislative framework.
On 25 May 2023, the government tabled the Review of the Modern Slavery Act in Parliament which considers the current legislation and the operation of the Act in the first three years of implementation. The Act and its administrative implementation were considered as part of this review.
Read moreIndependent Australia: The PwC disaster — Neoliberalism on steroids
Michelle Pini writes: The idea that endless privatisation and unfettered corporate greed will somehow leave us all better off no longer appears to be swallowed by the vast majority of Australians. Certainly, public confidence in our political leaders as well as in our institutions has been severely eroded in recent years.
This week, the Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC) scandal – in which nine (as yet unidentified) partners of the consultancy firm enlisted to help the Coalition Government design tax laws, leaked confidential Treasury information to benefit PwC's private clients – has left Australians outraged.
Read moreCITYHUB: Racism Rampant on Twitter Following Coalitions Official ‘No’ Stance on Voice Referendum
Twitter has become a "cesspit of hate” since Peter Dutton's announcement that the Coalition will vote no at the upcoming Voice referendum. First Nations leaders Thomas Mayo and Tracey Westerman report that “It’s like Dutton let a whole lot of racists off the leash to sew doubt, confusion and fear amongst voters.”
Read more here.
OPINION: AI in front line policing
NSWCCL has long been troubled about the privacy concerns associated with the largely unregulated use of AI, biometrics and facial recognition technology in frontline policing. There are a many high-risk applications of this technology which are being implemented without sufficient public discussion or consent. Its use in CCTV ‘mood tracking’ cameras in 2023 Mardi Gras Parade[1], monitoring that people are at home during the COVID-19 quarantine[2] and as a tool in controversial predictive policing[3] – goes to show the virtually unstoppable, ever-expanding scope creep of surveillance capacity. The law has notoriously been unable to keep up with AI and NSWCCL observes that this leaves the window open for law enforcement to race ahead of regulation to use people’s data in an increased surveillance capacity.
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City Hub: ‘Scope for improvement’: LECC report outlines issues with police incident investigations
The LECC has revealed significant issues with New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF)’s current approach to conducting critical incident investigations. The 2023 review, which assessed ‘Five Years of Independent Monitoring of NSW Police Force Critical Incident Investigations, found that current processes are overly lengthy and provide little opportunity to quickly improve identified issues.
Josh Pallas: "Given what happened with Clare Nowland, we think that it’s really made it quite clear that critical incidents shouldn’t be conducted by police – those investigations – they should just go to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) directly, and we’re fortified in that conclusion by what the recent LECC report is saying."
"When the LECC does supervise investigations, they have currently limited access to interviews and the investigations as a whole – so we don’t have confidence in current internal police investigations."
Read more here (link no longer available).
The Guardian: Growing calls for parliamentary inquiry into NSW police use of force
Calls are growing for a parliamentary inquiry into use of force by New South Wales police, with justice experts saying too much focus is being placed on the actions of individual police officers rather than the “festering” systemic problem.
“It’s about time we had some accountability from high up rather than those who are part of what’s happening on the ground," Samantha Lee of the Redfern Legal Centre said.
Josh Pallas, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said what connects these cases is a poor culture around the use of force, and a parliamentary inquiry is necessary to root out the problems.
Read moreDaily Caller: 95-Year-Old Australian Great-Grandmother Dies After Allegedly Being Tased By Police, Officer Facing Charges
A 95-year-old great-grandmother whom police allegedly tasered earlier in May died Wednesday in an Australian hospital, officials have stated. Clare Nowland passed away May 24, around a week after the incident with police that resulting in her being tasered in the back and chest, causing her to collapse and suffer a brain bleed.
The incident has sparked outrage throughout New South Wales, leading politicians to demand reforms in law enforcement procedures. "The refusal to release the bodycam footage protects NSW Police from public scrutiny for all the wrong reasons — the NSW community has a right to know exactly what happened when Clare Nowland was tasered so we can start to take the steps needed for change,” Sue Higginson, MLC stated.
Read more7NEWS:Grandmother with dementia Clare Nowland dies days after being tasered by police in NSW nursing home
Clare Nowland, the 95 year old dementia patient who was left fighting for her life after being tasered by police, has passed away.
A statement from the police reads:
“It is with great sadness we confirm the passing of 95-year-old Clare Nowland in Cooma tonight.”
“Mrs Nowland passed away peacefully in hospital just after 7pm this evening, surrounded by family and loved ones who have requested privacy during this sad and difficult time.
“Our thoughts and condolences remain with those who were lucky enough to know, love, and be loved by Mrs Nowland during a life she led hallmarked by family, kindness and community.”
Read moreLaw Society of NSW: LECC ‘critical incident’ recommendations can save lives
Better and more extensive training to enable the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) to better deal with incidents involving people with mental health issues will help protect some of the community’s most vulnerable citizens.
President of the Law Society of NSW Cassandra Banks said the report released by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) late yesterday contains common sense recommendations that, if implemented, will improve community safety and could potentially save lives.
Read moreMamamia: 95-year-old Clare was Tasered by police today. 15 years ago she was in the headlines for a very different reason.
In 2008, great-grandmother Clare Nowland was filmed for a feel-good segment by the ABC when she decided to go skydiving for her 80th birthday.
This week, the now 95 year old has made headlines for a different and incredibly disturbing reason, after she was allegedly Tasered by police in an incident at her nursing home. This occured after police were called to Cooma's Yallambee Lodge after Ms Nowland, who has dementia, was found holding a steak knife
It was reported that when police tried to negotiate with Nowland, she refused to drop the knife all while approaching police "slowly" with her walking frame.
Read moreNetwork 10: 95-Year-Old Grandmother With Dementia Tasered At Nursing Home In New South Wales
Clare Nowland, a dementia patient at Cooma's Yallambee Lodge is fighting for her life after staff at her NSW nursing home called the police on Wednesday morning after she was found holding a serrated steak knife.
After the police arrived, its reported that officers were unable to get Ms Nowland to drop the knife, resulting in one officer to fire their taser at the 95 year old as she stood next to her walking frame.
NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Josh Pallas said police shouldn't be using tasers on vulnerable people experiencing dementia or a mental health crisis.
Read moreWA Today: Use of Taser on 95-year-old could breach police procedures
An experienced police officer’s decision to deploy a Taser on a frail 95-year-old woman during an incident at an aged care home in southern NSW is likely in breach of police procedures on the use of the potentially-lethal weapon.
Clare Nowland, a dementia patient, was in a critical condition in hospital after she was hit by the Taser and fell, knocking her head, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. This occurred after she was found holding a serrated steak knife from the Yallambee Lodge kitchen.
The Taser was discharged once by a male senior constable with 12 years experience. This incident was captured on body-cam footage that Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter described as “confronting”. He said the video would not be released to the public.
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