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"Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice."
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) - Schedule 2, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986

Freedom of expression underpins the very freedom to think. Despite this fact, Australians currently do not have an explicit constitutional right to freedom of expression like most of their counterparts in the Westernised world. Australian courts have suggested that freedom of expression is to be found implicitly in world treaties and the Constitution itself. In Lange v. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 145 ALR 96, it was suggested that the constitutional implication of freedom of political communication acts as a brake on governmental efforts to limit what may be expressed on political matters. It does not explicitly establish a personal right to freedom of speech. The Court also re-affirmed that the implied freedom is not absolute.

For more of a discussion on this topic, please refer to: http://libertus.net/censor/fspeechlaw.html#implied

To see the complete decision of the Lange case, visit: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1997/25.txt

Framed

Redress Roundabout

Source: Framed, March 2004, Issue #46

If you think somethings wrong, youve got a right, even a duty, to complain about it. Thats an elementary principle of any human society worthy of the name. Prisoners dont lose this right and this duty just because theyre prisoners. In fact, given that, as Dostoyevsky said, the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons, prisoners have a special duty to complain about prison conditions that are inhumane, squalid or undignified. Or conditions that alienate them from the outside world, or that do not protect them against violence or sexual attacks. So that a society can know whats happening in its prisons, it needs a system that hears prisoners complaints, and examines them properly. So that a society can become more human, it needs a system that can redress prisoners grievances and bring about change.

Voting Rights for Prisoners report 2/07

In Aug 2004 Federal Parliament restricted the right to vote in Federal elections to those serving sentences of three years or less.

Now the coalition has barred all prisoners from voting in federal elections with the introduction in late 2006 of the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act.

There is no evidence that disenfranchising prisoners deters crime or assists in rehabilitation. It is more likely to increase alienation and disengagement from mainstream society and any sense of civic responsibility.

Legal needs of prisoners forum NSW

This Forum was held on 14/10/08 following a Law and Justice Foundation report to improve prisoner access to legal assistance. Justice Action was present and presented a statement.

Privatisation of NSW prisons

Government announcement - GEO gets the poisoned chalice of Parklea! GEO campaign brief download. Parliamentary Inquiry Report calls for 3 months pause for negotiation on Parklea. media release Government refuses. The whole community says privatisation is morally wrong and irrational. The multinationals want more crime, more profit. NO SALE NO SLAVERY! Picket line photos.
Read more: Privatisation of NSW prisons

New Zealand privatisation prisons

The NZ National Coalition Government has proposed privatisation of NZ prisons following the defeat of Labour in 2008. The Maori Party shares power with National and has been offered a separate 60 prisoner new jail by the government.

The multinational corporation GEO previously known as Wackenhut had controlled Mt Eden jail, called the Auckland Central Remand Prison. They also run Junee prison in NSW amongst others. The Select Committee on Law and Order received submissions and that has been the forum for community expression, as the law needs to be changed.

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