Where is the Coalition on freedom of speech?

By on December 12, 2012 in Freedom of speech

The IPA has mailed this hard-hitting letter to every Coalition MP and Senator, expressing our “very great concern” at the Coalition’s failure to outright oppose the Gillard government’s proposed changes to anti-discrimination law. As we’ve explained, the proposals are a massive attack on freedom of speech. The draft Bill also threatens fundamental legal rights.

We’ve written this letter after emailing all MPs and Senators about the government’s dangerous proposals the day after the draft Bill was released. We even included that email with our letter.

As John Roskam says in the letter:

It is alarming that the Coalition has to date failed to announce its opposition to the frightening restrictions on freedom of speech contained in the legislation.

And as we’ve said in the letter and I explained yesterday, the Coalition has been shown up on freedom of speech by former Whitlam staffer and current chairman of the ABC, James Spigelman.

About Simon Breheny

Simon Breheny is Director of the Legal Rights Project at the Institute of Public Affairs. Simon has been published in the Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Herald Sun, the Punch and the Canberra Times and is regularly interviewed on radio in relation to legal rights and rule of law issues. He also recently appeared before the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to give evidence on the government’s contentious data retention proposal. Simon is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at the University of Melbourne. While completing his studies, Simon was elected President of the Melbourne University Law Students’ Society and appointed Vice-President of the Victorian Council of Law Students’ Societies.
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