A majority of the High Court has dismissed appeal from the decision of the NSWCA relating to the powers of the Independent Commission against Corruption under the Independent Commission against Corruption Act 1988 (NSW). Introduction

This paper reviews the reforms introduced over the life of the 55th NSW Parliament, from 2011 to 2015, intended to address concerns about integrity in government Overview When the Coalition came to government in 2011 they did so with a Five Point Action Plan, a major plank of which was to renew trust in the...

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...

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...

Summary: The focus of this paper is on free or conscience votes in the NSW Parliament between 1981 and 2013. As such, its purpose is to add to the small but growing body of literature in this field. A full list of free votes between 1981 and 2013 is set out at Appendix A, which...