Court rulings have struck down NSW protest laws as unconstitutional, reaffirming that peaceful protest is a vital component of democratic life and cannot be curtailed by government overreach.

The right to protest in Australia is a core civic freedom, not a privilege controlled by an individual or at the discretion of a government. That freedom is implied in our constitution long ruled on by the High Court of Australia. Not as a personal right, but rather, as a limit on laws and government decisions that unreasonably restrict political communication that includes peaceful protest.

The New South Wales Court of Appeal has reinforced that right that Premier Minns must now accept and move on. His hardheaded persistence in refusing to accept the Court’s ruling will only bring harm to the people of NSW.

The core constitutional findings of the NSW Court of Appeal/ Supreme Court (April 2026) have been to strike down the Premier’s protest laws as having cumulatively “undermined constitutional rights”, burdened “freedom of political communication” and suppressed protest under the justification of “social cohesion”.

In its decision, the Court of Appeal has reinforced the principle that protest........

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