A legal rights manual for those wishing to protest in Sydney, Australia.
The Activist Rights Manual is designed to help activists change the world. It is focused on activism in Sydney, Australia, but much of the information applies to the rest of the state of New South Wales.
Australia is a federal system of government, so the law here might not apply to other states.
It is intended for a non-legal audience, yet it should also be of assistance to lawyers who have an interest in this area of law.
One strength of the Manual is that it will be continually updated as legal changes occur, as well as by collecting information from activists on what happens in reality. Contributing authors to this website attend protests on a regular basis, so we should have a good idea of what's happening. The Manual welcomes contributions from activists who can update areas of policing practice, as well as lawyers and law students who wish to expand or add new sections.
Organisers of events may want to first read the sections on giving police notice under the Notice of Intention procedure and public order law and public order practice. The other sections are relevant to individuals and organisers. Lawyers may want to consult common criminal offences, as this section will be updated with recent sentences for public order offences as they become known.
Contact Dale Mills at dalemills (at) cantab.net for queries.
The Activist Rights Manual is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice specific to your circumstances. This is important, as legal advice can really only be given for your particular situation if you sit down with a lawyer and take your time to explain your situation. We can not guarantee the accuracy of other sites we have linked to as we have no control over their content.
This site was last updated in February 2011.
This website is a project of Redfern Legal Centre, a non-profit community legal centre dedicated to promoting social justice and human rights.
Funding for this project was given by the Law and Justice Foundation. This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW. The Foundation seeks to advance the fairness and equity of the justice system and to improve access to justice, especially for socially and economically disadvantaged people. Disclaimer: any opinons expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Law and Justice Foundation's Board of Governors.
