With no formal constitutional provisions or bill of rights the right to protest in Australia relies upon common law judicial interpretations, is heavily politicised and proscribed by governments in legislation, and relies for administration in a highly discretionary manner by police.
In my in depth conversation with Anastasia Radiewska, protest rights campaigner, Australian Democracy Network. We discuss the shortcomings of this unique approach relying heavily on state governments in the context of both the history in Australia of significant and successful protest movements and emerging recent politicisation and divisiveness around issues such as climate, Covid, environment and latterly campus protests and counter protests over the Israel Gaza war.
Listen to the podcast here:
Controversy over campus protests about the Israel Gaza war prompts basic questions about the democratic rights to protest, public assembly and freedom of speech as I discuss in depth with Anastasia Radievska, Australian Democracy Network for www.rnb.org.au
Republished from MIX CLOUD, July 2024
Michael Lester is a public policy economist with a career in Commonwealth and State agencies, World Bank and OECD. His interests include innovation, environment, and governance. He presents programs on community radio.
Anastasia Radiewska
Anastasia Radievska is a Ukrainian-born writer and community organiser currently living on Gadigal land. Her poetry has been published in Cordite Poetry Review, Rabbit Poetry Journal, and the Red Room Poetry ‘Writing Water’ anthology. A zine she coproduced with staff and students participating in the University of Sydney 2022 strikes recently appeared in Axon: Creative Explorations journal. Anastasia is a policy researcher and law student. She is interested in the interweaving of personal and collective histories in poetry, and the way these can open up new spaces of freedom.