NSW Council for Civil Liberties
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1963, the charter of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties is to protect the equal rights of all citizens (as long as they don’t infringe the rights and freedoms of others) and oppose all or any abuse or excessive power by the State against its people.
The Council for Civil Liberties has a committee elected by volunteers whose primary role is to influence public debate and government policy on a range of human rights issues. The goal of the Council is to secure amendments to laws, or changes in policy, where civil liberties are not being fully respected.
Another role of the Council is to listen to individual complaints and, through volunteer efforts, help members of the public with civil liberties problems. The Council prepares submissions to government, conducts court cases defending infringements of civil liberties, engages regularly in public debates, produces publications, and conducts many other activities.
Current issues range from the bill of rights
, the death penalty
, prisoners issues, free speech
, sniffer dogs
, double jeopardy
, freedom of information
, the right to protest
, ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) rights, asylum seekers, drug reform and privacy
.
"Let there be no doubt that real terrorists are the enemies of civil liberties...
"Nevertheless...we must also recognise...the need to draw a distinction between 'terrorists' and those who are simply objecting to injustice as they see it. In his day, Mahatma Gandhi was certainly called a terrorist. So was Nelson Mandela...
"[We must also recognise] that, in responding to violent antagonists, democratic communities must do so in a way, as far as possible, consistent with the defence of civil liberties."
The Council for Civil Liberties has a committee elected by volunteers whose primary role is to influence public debate and government policy on a range of human rights issues. The goal of the Council is to secure amendments to laws, or changes in policy, where civil liberties are not being fully respected.
Another role of the Council is to listen to individual complaints and, through volunteer efforts, help members of the public with civil liberties problems. The Council prepares submissions to government, conducts court cases defending infringements of civil liberties, engages regularly in public debates, produces publications, and conducts many other activities.
Current issues range from the bill of rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
, the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, prisoners issues, free speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, sniffer dogs
Detection dog
A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to and works at using its senses to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, or blood. Hunting dogs that search for game and search dogs that search for missing humans are generally not considered detection dogs...
, double jeopardy
Double jeopardy
Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction...
, freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
, the right to protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
, ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) rights, asylum seekers, drug reform and privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
.
Terrorism and Civil Liberties
In a recent speech to the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, High Court Justice Michael Kirby delivered an important reminder to all civil libertarians:"Let there be no doubt that real terrorists are the enemies of civil liberties...
"Nevertheless...we must also recognise...the need to draw a distinction between 'terrorists' and those who are simply objecting to injustice as they see it. In his day, Mahatma Gandhi was certainly called a terrorist. So was Nelson Mandela...
"[We must also recognise] that, in responding to violent antagonists, democratic communities must do so in a way, as far as possible, consistent with the defence of civil liberties."