"Taxpayers Left Footing Bill for Controversial Protest Laws: Exclusive Documents Reveal Massive Legal Fees Spent Defending Unlikely to Succeed Lawsuits. Following the 2015 Bondi beach terror attack, the New South Wales government swiftly passed laws aimed at restricting public assemblies, sparking concerns about civil liberties and free speech. Now, a staggering $117,455.50 has been spent on a single legal challenge to these laws, which were enacted in response to the attack. The costs, obtained through freedom of information legislation, represent a fraction of the total amount spent on defending constitutional challenges against the laws, which many experts had predicted would be struck down. As the government continues to face mounting criticism over its handling of these laws, the mounting legal bills have raised questions about the value of defending a legislation that was always likely to face judicial scrutiny."
Exclusive: Documents show $117,455.50 was spent in a single legal fight over laws rushed through after Bondi attackGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales government has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to unsuccessfully defend constitutional challenges against protest laws that were expected to be struck down.The costs, outlined in documents obtained by Guardian Australia via freedom of information legislation, include $117,455.50 of taxpayers’ money on a single challenge to controversial public assembly restriction declaration (Pard) laws. Those laws were enacted following the Bondi beach terror attack and were in place during a now infamous rally against the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in February. Continue reading...
