Human rights group Liberty Victoria today expressed great concern about proposed legislation that would require permits to be obtained before people may protest.

Liberty president George Georgiou SC said, “We seriously question the need for such drastic action and urge government to look at alternatives before undertaking such measures.

Liberty Victoria is concerned that the Attorney-General has elected to introduce a standard sentence scheme, contrary to the clear advice of the Sentencing Advisory Council’s report in response to the Terms of Reference provided in November 2015, Sentencing Guidance in Victoria. 

Liberty Victoria supports the Sentencing Advisory Council’s statement that sentencing guidance is best delivered by the Court of Appeal, and supports the proposed reforms to the Guideline Judgment regime.

Whatever happened to the idea of freedom of speech, of freedom to debate diverse political and ideological views? These should be the very hallmarks of a just and democratic society like Australia’s.
 
Since that is so, why has Roz Ward been suspended from her job at La Trobe University for doing no more than expressing a political opinion? Liberty Victoria, one of the nation’s leading civil liberties advocacy organisations, is shocked by this action.