RLC police powers solicitor David Porter was interviewed by The Guardian following legislation passed by the NSW upper house on 4 May 2016. These new bills grant police the power to treat minor offences as serious crimes, shut down public gatherings and impose individualised control orders, which seriously restrict the rights and liberties of individuals.
5 May 2016 - The Guardian
Paul Farrell
"This isn’t a question of the gradual erosion of equality before the law – the passing of these bills means it is gone," Porter said. "These new bills introduce public safety orders that are not about safety, but about control. They are about shutting down all sorts of public events, from protests to footy finals."
"We can expect these serious crime prevention order applications to be substantially based, and determined, on secret police intelligence and evidence that police say cannot be shown to the person or their lawyer. In addition, the orders which will control the next five years of a person’s life, are determined on a lower burden of proof than normally applies in criminal proceedings."
Read the article on The Guardian website.
