This paper reports on trends in NSW State finances between 2002-03 and 2014-15 (the latest two years are based on estimates only). For most of the key indicators, the paper also shows trends by Parliament for the current (55th) Parliament and the previous two (54th and 53rd) Parliaments. This paper sets out the key trends...

This paper summarises the contentious issue of anti-gang legislation and whether it contravenes the implied freedom of political communication under the Commonwealth Constitution. Introduction On 8 October 2014 the High Court handed down its decision in Tajjour v NSW [2014] HCA 35 ( Tajjour) in which the offence of consorting in s 93X of the...

Outlines the ways in which the clearing of native vegetation has been regulated in NSW from 1788 to the present. Summary This paper outlines the ways in which the clearing of native vegetation has been regulated in NSW, from 1788 to the present. Since the 1980s the extent to which governments can regulate the clearing...

This paper discusses new legislation being considered in New South Wales, aimed at enabling prosecutions in cases where an injury to a child could only have been inflicted by one of two or more persons who were at home with the child, but where there is not enough evidence to prove which specific person was...

Discusses the implications of two Bills both dealing with voting in local government elections for the City of Sydney. Overview On 14 August 2014 two Private Members’ Bills were introduced in the NSW Parliament, both dealing with voting in local government elections for the City of Sydney, specifically as this relates to non-residents. One Bill...