Supreme Court overturns NSW anti-protest laws - ABC listen New South Wales' highest court has struck down the state's controversial Protest Laws introduced in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Listen in full here:

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www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Continued

"There could be a declaration made that nobody in the state could hold a public assembly. That's not what happened of course but that's the legislation was wide enough to allow that to happen."

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Screenshot of ABC AM website hosting the 3min episode featuring Centre for Public Integrity Chair Anthony Whealy KC. TItle: Supreme Court overturns NSW anti-protest laws

Anthony Whealy KC, Chair of the Centre for Public Integrity:

"Right from the start, the state government enacted this legislation too quickly. This was legislation that didn't ban protests but it did very effectively discourage them."

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Media Release: High Court ruling exposes unfair electoral laws — Victoria must fix the system, not patch it The unanimous High Court decision strikes at the heart of Victoria’s “nominated entity” regime — a mechanism that has enabled major parties to access funding structures not available to independents a...

“Victoria must not respond with a quick fix that simply reworks the same problem. Mechanisms like nominated entities have no place in a modern democracy. They distort the system and entrench inequality.”

Dr Catherine Williams
Executive Director
Centre for Public Integrity

wp.me/pfU5Sy-aJp

#auspol

Senate wars rumble as Labor slammed for transparency failures The government has claimed constant requests for documents are a ‘fishing expedition’. Others say they are vital to the democratic process.

Read the full articile here:

www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...

The Centre found last year that the current government hid more information from the public than the Morrison government, and Labor has been criticised for offering staff to the opposition under Sussan Ley in exchange for support of their abandoned FOI bill as first reported by this masthead.

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Public interest immunity allows the government to withhold documents if it is deemed they would damage the public interest. Williams said it was vital that an independent legal arbiter be established to review the claims, a measure that she said was effective in NSW.

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Dr Catherine Williams, executive director of the Centre for Public Integrity, said: “We remain concerned about the rate of non-compliance, as well as the rate at which public interest immunity is relied upon as the basis for that non-compliance.”

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From Box-Ticking to Trust-Building: Enhancing Integrity in Public Consultation Fix box-ticking and rebuild trust: a Public Consultation Act and independent Office to strengthen public consultation integrity across government.

At a time when consultation is too often rushed or treated as a formality, this was an important conversation about how to build trust and strengthen democracy.

Read the report in full here

publicintegrity.org.au/research_pap...

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A second panel focused on integrity in government consultation and coincided with the launch of our new report, From Box-Ticking to Trust-Building: Enhancing Integrity in Public Consultation.

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The event included a panel on Lawmaking with Integrity, featuring Professor Gabrielle Appleby, Senator @davidpocock.bsky.social, Senator David Shoebridge and Andrew Young, chaired by Law Council President Tania Wolff.

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Good lawmaking depends on good process.

On 13 March 2026, the Centre for Public Integrity and the Law Council of Australia brought together experts, parliamentarians and legal leaders to discuss how public input into lawmaking can be improved.

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#auspol #auslaw

Read the full media release here:

publicintegrity.org.au/the-centre-f...

Withdrawing the nominated entity amendments is the right call — they would have left major-party “war chests” intact and allowed spending outside donation caps.

Now Victoria must fix the structural unfairness in political finance laws and implement the 2023 review recommendations.

#vicpol

This short video covers the Centre's Report Card on the first six months of Tasmania's Rockliff Government across eight key integrity areas.

Read the report here: buff.ly/xZPz8Ml

#auspol

Big Build’s dirty money: How gangland, bikie-linked firms funded Labor Records show a collection of companies now under scrutiny, some from law enforcement, helped fund Labor’s 2022 election victory.

Full article here:

www.theage.com.au/national/big...

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He said there was a very high threshold for investigation and there needed to be a public official involved in misconduct, meaning failure to supervise contracts didn’t come under its remit."

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Watson, speaking in his role as director for the Centre of Public Integrity, said it was surprising Allan did not know her referral could not be investigated, because the current government had made changes to IBAC’s powers that changed its authority to investigate.

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You can’t demand a better parliament while making politics unlivable Expenses scandals aside, the real question is how to support politicians to serve and exit with integrity, without narrowing who can afford to run.

Read the full piece in today's Mandarin by the Centre's Research Director and Executive Director here:

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www.themandarin.com.au/306088-you-c...

Integrity requires limits. Diversity and quality require support. These aren’t opposites; they reinforce each other. The goal isn’t perks; it’s a system where Australians can serve, and leave, with integrity and dignity.

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What could that include? A temporary transition payment (phased out once equivalent work is found), career/financial/psychological support, tailored employment services and dignity measures like a guaranteed valedictory speech.

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If only the wealthy can afford to comply with integrity rules, democracy loses. So we need integrity + humanity together: a targeted transitional support package tied to a strong cooling-off period.

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But there’s a design challenge: tough rules can unintentionally deter good candidates. Research shows many former MPs struggle to find work for ~18 months, and the transition can be psychologically severe.

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Best practice? Cooling-off periods that:
- apply to all parliamentarians
- last a full parliamentary term
- cover all lobbying and lobbying-related activity (including advising on lobbying strategy).

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That’s why “revolving door” rules matter. Robust, enforceable cooling-off periods help stop former MPs trading insider access and networks for private gain — and protect public trust.

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Politics isn’t a “normal job”. It can be short, brutal, and risky (psychologically, financially, professionally). Yet we expect impeccable conduct during and after time in office.

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If we genuinely want a parliament that reflects Australia’s diversity and talent, we have to face the tension:
✅ spend public money wisely
✅ but also provide fair pay, fair entitlements (esp. for families), and fair expectations post-parliament.

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We’ve built a system that demands extraordinary professional + personal sacrifice from MPs… while often failing to support them to do the job with integrity — or to leave public life with dignity and a future.

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Last year’s pre-Christmas parliamentary expenses scandal is still reverberating, with the Remuneration Tribunal now recommending tighter rules for family reunion travel. But here’s the bigger issue: parliamentary life is not family-friendly.

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#auspol

YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINv...

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