This year the NSW Labor Conference provides an opportunity for the Government to abandon the draconian policies relating to bail laws, the suite of anti-protest laws and the harmful drug laws that are unfair and unjust and must be changed.

NSW Labor has a proud 130-year history of convening this annual democratic assembly. We urge the Labor parliamentary team to listen to its members and put into practice the democratic ideals of the party’s founders.

This Labor conference should be a place where the government emerges with a plan for a more positive future for everyone in NSW. Labor’s policies should leave no-one behind. We urge the Minns Labor Government to seize this moment and reframe the future for NSW through a lens that is evidence based, democratic and upholds the Labor values that our oldest political party should be so proud of.

Comments from Ms Lydia Shelly, President, NSW Council for Civil Liberties

“We call on NSW Labor to repeal the draconian anti-protest laws founded in 2022 by the Perrottet Government and supported by the then Labor opposition. The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right that allows us to express our views, shape our societies, and press for social change. 

Everyone should have the right to gather and convey political messages in non-violent protest. People should understand that they can peacefully express a view without ending up in gaol.

We encourage the Labor party to reflect on the long and proud history of its members joining important movements, standing together to bring about pivotal changes such as securing women the right to vote, ending conscription, and protecting many places of environmental significance.

The Minns Government Bail law reforms will not make communities safer. We know from independent research that the opposite is true. This policy is out of step with the evidence and does not serve children and families in vulnerable communities nor make them safer. Our laws should not harm children; nor see them put on the path towards incarceration. Instead, the focus should be on rehabilitation. 

Tightening the bail laws to keep children locked up hasn’t worked in any jurisdiction in the world where it has been implemented. Prisons are no place for children and young people. These terrible laws are a step backwards for criminal justice in NSW. 

The Minns Government has announced measures to incarcerate children rather than listening to the evidence to raise the age of criminal responsibility in NSW.  Evidence should guide policy; it is so disheartening to witness steps that could harm rather than protect our young people.

This conference is a crucial opportunity to right that wrong and raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old. They have the evidence. We know how much Labor members care about keeping children out of prison and supporting them in their homes, schools and communities. These laws are out of step with the values and beliefs of NSW Labor members and should be immediately repealed. 

The bail laws represent a broken promise that NSW Labor made prior to their election. The NSW public deserve elected representatives that keep their promises. 

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties commends the Minns Government for its recent announcement of the 2024 Drug Summit and 12 new drug and alcohol hubs across the state. 

The 1999 Drug Summit held by Labor remains a significant and defining moment for drug law reform in Australia and globally. The 2024 Drug Summit gives New South Wales another chance to lead the conversation about drug use and harm minimisation.

We urge NSW Labor to ensure that this Drug Summit takes a whole-of-government approach that examines the structural reasons driving drug misuse and dependency. The intersections of social, economic, housing, and education policy are known contributors to drug misuse and dependency.

The Summit also creates the space to talk about recreational drug use. Criminalisation and stigmatisation have only led to a significant lack of credible information and communication, resulting in society's generally poor understanding of the effects different drugs have on the body, creating further risks to health. 

Current NSW Drug Laws are unjust. We need to make life-saving changes that will keep people with health issues out of gaol. We need to have a conversation about cannabis law reform, drug decriminalisation and pill testing.

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties strongly supports the implementation of pill testing services as a vital lifesaving strategy. We hope that the Labor Party will enable the planned Summit to be a non-politicised spaces for a discussion about the evidence.

We know that pill testing provides individuals with critical information about the substances they intend to consume, enabling them to make informed and safer choices. Pill testing saves lives and the Summit will be an ideal environment to have the conversation.

We call on Labor members who are attending the state conference to remain committed in raising these issues, even amongst tremendous pressure to conform to the party lines.”