The Executive officers are elected each year at the NSWCCL AGM. The Executive conducts business in between Committee meetings.
PresidentTimothy Roberts |
Timothy became the President of NSWCCL in 2024 after serving as Secretary in 2023. Timothy commenced in the legal profession in April 2020 at NEW Law, a law firm owned by unions and that provides legal services to unions, union members and the general public. Timothy commenced as a paralegal and research assistant to support Counsel Assisting the Teachers Federation Independent Inquiry into the status of teaching, and his work in this role contributed to the 2021 Valuing the teacher profession report. Timothy was admitted as a solicitor in July 2021. Prior to Timothy’s appointment at NEW Law, he worked as a Senior Education Officer and Executive Officer at the NSW Education Standards Authority. Timothy holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Master of Education from the University of Newcastle, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Technology Sydney. Timothy has also worked as a Relief Officer in many roles at the NSW Teachers Federation and been an association representative on their Branch Council.
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Vice-PresidentLydia Shelly |
Lydia is admitted as a solicitor with the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia. She is a practicing solicitor in Western Sydney and joined the committee in 2014. She served as the committee's President in 2023-24. Lydia is concerned over the erosion of fundamental legal principles and civil liberties due to increasingly draconian legislation, such as counter terrorism legislation. With a Masters of Terrorism and Security Studies, Lydia has a strong understanding of the policy frameworks that intersect with legislative responses. Strengthening social cohesion in communities through democratic participation is one of her passions and she regularly engages with diverse stakeholders on civil liberty issues – including on drug law reform, the right to peacefully protest and police powers. Lydia strongly believes that those in positions of power have a responsibility to promote and defend civil liberties – including the right to peacefully protest. She has appeared in various local courts, the District Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia on a pro bono basis for protestors, refugees and on a range of civil liberty-based issues. Lydia has presented evidence at many Parliamentary inquiries (state and federal) into proposed laws and reviews, including the NSW Modern Slavery Act (2018), Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2014 and the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Bill 2016. She has also written civil liberty-based articles for a range of media such as the Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Lydia believes that “truth telling” is an important step towards securing justice for First Nations people. She believes that a Bill of Rights for all Australians is long overdue and necessary to ensure civil liberties and human rights are protected.
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Vice-PresidentMartin Bibby |
Martin has been a member of the Committee since 2004 and elected as Vice-President in 2024. He was Assistant Secretary for a number of years and convener of the civil rights subcommittee 2007-2013. Martin writes a large number of CCL’s submissions in relation to civil liberties and human rights issues.
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SecretaryAdam Connor
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Adam is currently a policy officer and law student. Adam commenced studies at University of New South Wales in 2021 and is working towards completion of a combined Bachelors degree, in Arts/Law. He has been working within the Union movement since 2020. Adam joined the NSWCCL management committee in 2023 and was elected Secretary in 2024. |
Treasurer
Stephen Blanks |
Stephen Blanks became Treasurer of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties in October 2018, having served as President since 2013 and previously as Secretary since 2005. Stephen has been a solicitor since 1985, and has a small legal practice located in Rozelle, Sydney. Stephen has been a member of NSWCCL since 1993. He was prompted to join when acting for a book publisher who had published a book about corruption and a NSW Government agency wrote to all major booksellers demanding that they not sell the book. NSWCCL was vital in obtaining publicity for the publisher, leading to a speedy withdrawal of the demands. Stephen’s particular civil liberty interests include asylum seekers, free speech, privacy and racial vilification. Although Stephen’s legal practice is primarily commercially focussed, Stephen has over the years taken on many legal cases involving civil liberties issues, including unpopular cases involving asylum seekers, protesters, paedophiles and people smugglers. An important part of Stephen’s involvement in civil liberties is supervising Australian and foreign students undertaking internships.
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