Gareth Griffith examines the potential implications for New south Wales arising from the recent debate on free speech, most notably in respect to the Commonwealth’s new anti-terrorism legislation. The paper focuses on three areas of the law, all of which impinge on the issue of free speech. First, it considers the law of sedition as...

In November 2005, the NSW Attorney General announced that the government would introduce majority verdicts of 11:1 for criminal trials. If the proposed measures pass into legislation, majority verdicts would be available for all criminal offences, provided a minimum deliberation period has passed. Talina Drabsch examines the arguments for and against this change in the...

Incomes earned by those on the basic wage or just above have increased far less than house prices have increased, during the last 25 years, yet governments have largely withdrawn from providing housing for people encountering housing difficulties. Instead, writes John Wilkinson, they have turned to providing modest rent assistance to those on low incomes...

The provision of funding and requiring disclosure of donations and expenditure are thought to strengthen Australia’s democratic institutions, enhance the political process, and dampen the influence of money on politics. The extent to which the various regimes achieve these purposes is debateable, as are the changes considered necessary. Talina Drabsch provides an overview of the...

Specialist committees are now a common feature of the Australian parliamentary landscape. This is especially the case in New South Wales, where parliamentary committees supervise most of the independent investigatory agencies, writes Gareth Griffiths in this survey of the role of committee.