What a night! On 1 October 2026, we gathered for the NSWCCL 64th Annual Dinner and Journalism Awards. Surrounded by a room full of wonderful friends and powerful civil liberties advocates, we had the privilege of hearing from Chair of the Digital Rights Watch, Lizzie O'Shea.
We want to extend our deepest thanks to Councillor Yvonne Weldon, who joined us on Gadigal Country to offer a beautiful Welcome on behalf of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. We are incredibly grateful to Councillor Weldon for sharing her time so generously with us.
President's Welcome
NSWCCL President, Timothy Roberts, then took the stage to deliver opening remarks, and he didn't hold back on the realities of the past year. Channeling his inner Jed Bartlet, Tim gave us a beautifully candid reminder that the state of our civil liberties is never something we can take for granted. Rather than offering comfortable platitudes, he reminded us that the flame of liberty is incredibly fragile, and relies on all of our collective and tireless work to keep alight. Reflecting on a profoundly heavy year marked by friction and a shared, interrupted grief, He reminded us of what NSWCCL is truly capable of when our backs are against the wall: "Every time we think we have measured ourcapacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless."
He further shared some heartfelt gratitude for the brilliant, hard-working "we" that keeps the NSWCCL engine running. He extended his deep thanks to the executive leadership team - Secretary Adam Connor, Vice Presidents Lydia Shelly, Shannen Potter, and Martin Bibby, Assistant Secretary David Pink, and Treasurer Stephen Blanks. He also gave a massive shout-out to our dedicated committee members and the wonderful legislative allies in the room who offer their frank, fearless advice and steadfast support year after year.
Read Timothy Roberts' Full Speech Here.
Keynote Speech
The absolute highlight of the evening followed, with an inspiring, powerhouse Keynote speech by the brilliant Lizzie O’Shea - lawyer, writer, and chair of Digital Rights Watch. Speaking on the crucial theme of protecting democracy in an increasingly digital world, Lizzie urged us to view technology not as an inevitable, divine force, but as a human creation with a human history. She beautifully channeled Thomas Paine, reminding us that those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigues of supporting it.
Lizzie gave us a fascinating history lesson. She explained how the very first professional police force was actually a collaboration between commerce and the state, designed to scale up the surveillance of regular workers. Like their historical counterparts, modern law enforcement agencies understand that surveillance is about preserving social order rather than reducing harm.
She spoke passionately about how Australia has become one of the world's most secretive democracies, passing over 100 national security bills in two decades—often giving parliament a mere five days to look them over. Operating without a federal bill of rights, successive governments routinely rush these laws through for quick political poll bumps, completely bypassing human rights considerations.
She didn't hold back on the massive tech giants either, calling out a billionaire class of "poorly dressed nerds" who harbor anti-democratic politics. From Meta pocketing ad revenue from known scams and allowing harmful content to target children, to SpaceX building the environmentally obscene Colossus data center to power AI infrastructure, Lizzie laid bare the massive stakes of unchecked tech expansion. She even highlighted Google's troubling collaborations with global militaries to build targeting systems used in theatres of war.
Despite these heavy corporate and state threats, Lizzie closed with a wonderful, rallying message of optimism. She celebrated the fact that Australians actually poll as the least optimistic about AI globally - proving our collective "bullshit detector" is alive and well! Instead of buying into the hype, nearly 90% of Australians want strict regulation and corporate accountability. Even better, she showed us that when we fight back, we win.
Read Lizzie O'Shea's Full Speech Here.
Celebrating Truth-Tellers: The Journalism Awards
Following that incredible speech, we had the joy of celebrating some spectacular truth-tellers in our community that front and uplift civil liberties in their reporting!
The Young Journalist Award: A massive congratulations to Jacques Nieuwoudt from the Star Observer! Jacques was recognised for his deeply impactful reporting on NSW Police overreach and the targeting of Oxford Street LGBTQ+ venues, alongside his insightful commentary defending universal bodily autonomy and human dignity against misogyny and transphobia.
Excellence in Civil Liberties Journalism Open Category Award: A huge round of applause to Ariel Bogle and Nino Bucci from The Guardian for taking home this premier award for their exceptional, uncompromising investigative reporting into the escalating use of "less lethal" weapons by Australian police. They highlighted how tools like capsicum spray, baton rounds, and flash-bang grenades are routinely deployed against crowds with minimal oversight and no nationally enforced standards. They highlighted instances of injuries during protests and drew attention to at least three deaths linked to "less lethal" police force in NSW and Victoria, raising critical questions around police accountability, state secrecy, and the erosion of protest rights.
We would also like to thank the USYD Law Review band for playing at the dinner. Their music created a beautiful atmosphere and elevated the evening for our attendees. You can check out their Instagram here.
As Thomas Paine knew well, defending our fundamental rights takes work and incurs a healthy dose of fatigue. But looking out across a room full of passionate organisers, activitsts, legal minds, and advocates, it’s clear that we have the collective strength to face down any challenge.
Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, bid on an auction item, and continues to stand with the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. Together, we will continue to keep the flame of liberty burning bright.
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