Brisbane G20: Protest and Policing in a Mature Democracy

(briscan.net.au is under new management, this article previously appeared on the old website and was not written by the new site owners.)

The G20 Summit presents an unrivalled opportunity for Australia to display its mature brand of liberal democracy. At the heart of our democracy lays the rule of law and with it our civil and political freedoms such as the right to free speech, to associate and to protest.

However, the G20 laws provide expansive discretionary powers to detain and search people, as well as creating a range of new offences that erode our freedom of political expression, for example the possession of prohibited items such as banners larger than 100 x 200 centimetres.

Join us for a panel discussion on the implications Brisbane G20 will bring for protest and policing in our mature democracy.

Speakers:

Reverend Tim Costello – Head of World Vision Australia and chair of the C20 Steering Committee
Dr Tim Soutphommasane – Race Discrimination Commissioner
Katarina Carroll – Queensland Police Service Assistant Commissioner
Walter Sofronoff – former Solicitor-General of Queensland
Professor Simon Bronitt – Vice-Chancellor Strategic Chair at the TC Beirne School of Law

Journalist Paul Barclay from ABC Radio National will chair the discussion.

TICKETS (free): http://www.eventbrite.com/e/brisbane-g20-protest-and-policing-in-a-mature-democracy-tickets-13478363147

Where: Banco Court, 415 George Street, Brisbane City

Caxton Legal Centre partners with the law schools at Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Queensland to host the Justice in Focus Series, a set of regular public forums that enrich public debate on topics of local and national importance. Each forum features a panel of leading thinkers representing a range of socio-legal views on the topic.

Entry is free and refreshments are served at the close of each event.

Forums regularly feature on ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas program.