Traditional Rights and Freedoms—Encroachments by Commonwealth Laws (ALRC Report 129)
Tabled 2 March 2016.The ALRC was asked to identify and critically examine Commonwealth laws that encroach upon traditional rights, freedoms and privileges recognised by the common law. In this Report, the ALRC discusses the source and rationale of many important rights and freedoms and provides an extensive survey of current Commonwealth laws that limit them. The ALRC …
Publications
Read moreJustice and Freedoms in Times of Terror Panel Session
ALRC Freedoms Inquiry, Justice and Freedoms in Times of Terror Panel Session, 19 June 2015, Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, President, Australian law Reform Commission[1]IntroductionThank you for the opportunity to join such an eminent panel today (with David Irvine AO, Professor George Williams AO and Graham Turnbull SC). Coming last made me wonder about contrasts—perhaps ‘specific’ to ‘general’, may be …
News/Media Release
Read moreALRC submission to inquiry into the provisions of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 and Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Bill 2010
Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, 3 May 2010The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Committee’s inquiry. The ALRC will restrict its comments to the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 (Cth), drawing on its experience from the major inquiry into sedition laws in …
Publications
Read moreALRC reforms strike a blow to the old culture of secrecy
Secrecy laws, and the prosecution of public servants for the unauthorised disclosure of Commonwealth information, can sit uneasily with the Australian Government’s commitment to open and accountable government. The final report of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s comprehensive review of Commonwealth secrecy laws, Secrecy Laws and Open Government in Australia (ALRC Report 112) was tabled …
News/Media Release
Read moreSecrecy Laws and Open Government in Australia (ALRC Report 112)
Official secrecy has a necessary and proper province in our system of government. A surfeit of secrecy does not.On 5 August 2008, the Attorney-General of Australia, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to conduct an Inquiry into options for ensuring a consistent approach across government to the protection of Commonwealth …
Publications
Read moreReform journal
The Australian Law Reform Commission published the first issue of Reform in January 1976, and then twice a year until 2010. The journal’s aim was to raise public awareness of contemporary legal issues and provides a forum for high-quality debate on issues of law reform in an easy-to-read format. Previous articles contributed by leading Australian …
Publications
Read moreALRC proposals to wind back federal secrecy laws
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today released a Discussion Paper for its current inquiry into federal secrecy laws—Review of Secrecy Laws (DP 74, June 2009)—which makes 65 proposals for reform.The ALRC is seeking community feedback about how to balance a growing commitment to increased openness and transparency in government with the legitimate need to maintain the …
News/Media Release
Read moreReview of Secrecy Laws (DP 74)
This Discussion Paper contains a more detailed treatment of the issues raised in the Issues Paper (IP 34) and indicates the Inquiry’s thinking in the form of specific reform proposals.DP 74 is divided into 15 chapters. Proposals for reform are not spread evenly throughout. The early chapters provide mainly contextual or background material, which does not …
Publications
Read moreReview of Secrecy Laws: Inquiry Snapshot
To facilitate communication about the nature and focus of this Inquiry the ALRC released an overview document, Review of Secrecy Laws—Inquiry Snapshot, in February 2009.Itis written in plain language and provides a ready access to information about the Inquiry and is available online as a virtual document.
Publications
Read more