University
Place
Year
Introduction
Essay
Question: Compare and consider the High Court’s application of the implied freedom of political communication to protests outside workplaces in the cases of Brown v Tasmania and Clubb v Edwards. What is the significance of the distinctions drawn by the Court for the enactment of future laws dealing with protests affecting workplaces?
Putting the agitator out of business: the implications of brown and clubb for the statutory protection of the workplace from protests
I Introduction
It has often been remarked that a flourishing liberal democracy must ensure for its citizens the freedom to engage in public protest.[1] In Australia, this sentiment finds expression in the courts’ recognition of protest as a form of political communication, to which a measure of protection is afforded under the Constitution.[2] However, the natural tendency for public demonstrations to confront, provoke and offend — to agitate[3] — leaves this ‘freedom to protest’ particularly susceptible to curtailment by the legislature.[4] Because the freedom is residual,[5] without the prescribed content of a right,[6] its scope may therefore change over time as the rules defining its boundaries are reconfigured to meet the shifting expectations of Australian society. In such circumstances, the best gauge for the health of Australia’s constitutional democracy is not the extent to which the freedom has been left intact, but rather the propriety of the compromises between policy interests that are reflected in those rules that constrain it.
This essay will consider the treatment by the High Court of a policy interest to which particular attention has been devoted in recent times: the protection of the workplace from interference.[7] For the most part, laws enacted in pursuit of this object have come in response to an intensification of on-site environmental activism, often affecting the resources sector.[8] Brown v Tasmania (‘Brown’) saw a successful challenge to such legislation, with provisions of the Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Act 2014 (Tas) (‘Protesters Act’) held invalid for impermissibly burdening the implied freedom of political communication.[9] However, the question has since surfaced in other contexts. In Clubb v Edwards (‘Clubb’) and Preston v Avery (‘Preston’),[10] heard together, the Court upheld Victorian and Tasmanian legislation establishing ‘access zones’ around abortion clinics within which protests were heavily restricted. While the protection of the workplace was not as focal as it had been in Brown, clear parallels between the cases nonetheless make the opposite outcomes noteworthy. To further investigate the reasons for the disparity, a comparison of the decisions will be undertaken in Part II of this essay. Part III will then address the implications of the differences for the enactment of future laws protecting the workplace from protest. Ultimately, it is suggested that such laws ought to be drafted in a manner sensitive to their potential discriminatory effect, the importance of the site of the workplace, and the possibility that additional non-commercial concerns might support legislative intervention.
II Comparing the Cases
The comparison of Brown and Clubb hereinafter undertaken proceeds in three sections, each devoted to a factor distinguishing the cases. It may be noted at the outset that this exercise does not require discussion of the use of structured proportionality as an analytical tool by a majority of the Court on each occasion.[11]
Extent of burden in practice
The central point of distinction between Brown and Clubb was the extent of the burden on political communication occasioned by the practical operation of the legislation in each case.[12] Looking first to Brown, the plurality comprising Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ, along with Gageler and Nettle JJ writing in separate judgments, found the Protesters Act to have an effect on political communication far exceeding that required to protect the workplace from damage or disruption.
The plurality commenced by noting the vagueness of the terms ‘business premises’ and ‘business access area’, which set the geographical scope of the key provisions of the Protesters Act.[13] Compounding this issue of uncertainty, the power to enforce these provisions was conferred in broad terms — a fact given especial emphasis by Gageler and Nettle JJ.[14] Police officers could direct protesters to leave an area upon the formation of a reasonable, though potentially mistaken,[15] belief as to the existence or prospect of a contravention.[16] The direction could extend to all members of a group,[17] and disobedience would amount to an offence carrying severe penalties.[18] In all three judgments it was acknowledged that, as a result of these uncertain terms and broad discretions, the Act was likely to have an excessive, collateral effect on forms of protest that posed no risk of damage or disruption.[19]
The legislation considered in Clubb and Preston was markedly different. Neither statute was afflicted with the uncertainty noted in Brown — instead, each prohibited certain listed acts[20] within a clearly-defined 150-metre radius from premises where terminations were provided.[21] Gordon J considered that, because the Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 (Tas) (‘Reproductive Health Act’) in Preston prohibited only protests ‘in relation to termination’,[22] its burden on the implied freedom was insubstantial and indirect.[23] Similarly, Nettle J regarded the burden of the Victorian and Tasmanian legislation as quantitatively slight,[24] as the affected protests concerned personal, not political, matters: the protesters merely sought to dissuade women from accessing the services of the clinics.[25] On the other hand, Gageler J emphasised the disproportionate effect of the Reproductive Health Act on pro-life protesters[26] in identifying a burden that was ‘direct, substantial and discriminatory’ — ‘not qualitatively different’ from the burden in Brown.[27] Edelman J likewise emphasised ‘human experience’ in finding the Reproductive Health Act to cause a ‘deep’ burden in its targeting of pro-life protesters.[28]
The plurality, again comprising Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ, followed the line of Nettle and Gordon JJ, describing the legislation as ‘viewpoint neutral’[29] and non-discriminatory.[30] Notably, in Brown, the same plurality had described the Protesters Act as discriminatory because it applied specifically to protesters.[31] ‘Discrimination’ was therefore approached at two different levels: in Brown, it divided protesters and non-protesters; in Clubb and Preston, it divided pro-choice protesters and pro-life protesters. This reflects the distinction recognised elsewhere between discrimination against political communication generally, and discrimination against a particular viewpoint.[32] However, under this framework, the law in Preston would have been discriminatory in the former sense, as it too singled out protest.[33] The difference is otherwise explicable if ‘discrimination’ is taken to refer to the unequal treatment of groups equally responsible for the problem that the legislation purports to solve:[34] in Brown, non-protesters could just as easily disrupt forest operations,[35] while in Clubb and Preston protesters were the sole concern.[36]
Evidence of effectiveness of protests
In Clubb, the plurality explicitly distinguished the case from Brown by reference to the importance of the protests in each case to the broader political objectives asserted by the plaintiffs.[37] In Brown, the Protesters Act severely diminished the effectiveness of on-site protests against forest operations, which were accepted to be the ‘primary means’[38] of drawing public attention to the destruction of the environment.[39] By contrast, no evidence was adduced by Mrs Clubb or Mr Preston to demonstrate that protests outside abortion clinics were the most effective means by which to communicate an anti-abortion stance for political purposes.[40] The comments of the plurality were echoed in the judgments of Nettle and Gordon JJ.[41] However, Gageler J dismissed the significance of the distinction,[42] and Edelman J considered the point unpersuasive, as media coverage of protests outside abortion clinics was restricted by prohibitions on recording set by the same legislation.[43]
Interest protected
A second and ‘more important’ point of distinction explicitly recognised by the plurality in Clubb was that the on-site protests in Brown ‘did not involve an attack upon the privacy and dignity of other people’.[44] This seems to suggest that the ‘human rights’[45] interest promoted by the access zone legislation was to be accorded more weight than the commercial interest underlying the legislation in Brown.[46] This explicit ranking of legislative purposes was not repeated by the other members of the Court.[47]
III Implications
The factors motivating the different outcomes in Brown and Clubb offer several lessons for the drafters of future anti-protest laws. The most straightforward of these tells against combining vague definitions with a discretionary enforcement mechanism. Though neither vagueness[48] nor discretion in enforcement[49] will prove fatal where a challenge is brought on the implied freedom of political communication, the bright-line rules considered in Clubb offer a safer alternative. So much is apparent, too, from Levy v Victoria (‘Levy’),[50] where the Court unanimously upheld regulations employing a strict yet simple formula comparable to that in Clubb: a geographical zone of operation was defined, unlicensed entry into the zone was prohibited, and a penalty was set for contravention.[51] However, if bright-line rules are to be preferred, it is important that the scope of these rules is precisely calibrated. Otherwise, the simplicity of the provisions will only make areas of overreach more striking. Regard should therefore be had to three considerations derived from the comparison of Brown and Clubb:
- the potential for the legislation to have a discriminatory effect;
- the connection between the affected protest movement and the site of the workplace; and
- the ancillary, non-commercial interests that might bolster the case for protection.
The first of these considerations may seem untroublesome. If ‘discrimination’ is understood to mean the unequal treatment of equals, then it is easily avoided by broader drafting capturing all identifiable sources of the problem. For instance, in Brown, Gageler J pointed to the regulation in Levy as a facially non-discriminatory law, effecting a simple blanket prohibition on unlicensed persons entering the designated areas.[52] However, complications arise from the conclusion of Gageler and Edelman JJ in Preston that the Reproductive Health Act was discriminatory because in practice it disproportionately burdened pro-life over pro-choice protesters.[53] The critical question is whether discovering viewpoint discrimination behind the text in such a way makes the examination oppressively strict.[54] It is certainly conceivable that the regulations in Levy could have been characterised as discriminatory by this measure, given that several members of the Court recognised that the blanket prohibition on unauthorised entry would disproportionately affect protesters.[55] Indeed, the approach might see very few workplace anti-protest laws characterised as non-discriminatory at all, as their rationale is almost always the outlawing of the actions of a particular group — often of a distinct political persuasion.[56] Ultimately, while this discriminatory effect does not necessarily betoken invalidity,[57] it will invite more intense scrutiny of the restriction upon the targeted group’s ability to engage in political communication.[58] Accordingly, while the drafter might hope to avoid difficulty by utilising inclusive provisions,[59] it may be prudent to work according to the higher bar set by Gageler and Edelman JJ and devote greater attention to the impact of the proposed legislation on the targeted group. This places in focus the second consideration listed above: the connection between the protest and the site of the workplace.
It is increasingly common for the modern protest movement to target both the business or institution (as perpetrator) and the State (as enabler).[60] This partial shift away from a more traditional preoccupation with the State alone[61] elevates the importance of the physical place of work — an activist group will scarcely find a more apt space for protest than the site of the condemned conduct. It might be supposed, then, that the exclusion of protesters from the vicinity of certain workplaces will severely impair the ability of the group to engage in this contemporary dual-target political communication.[62] However, a further subtlety must be taken into account. The implied freedom protects only political communication;[63] there is no protection for communication relating purely to private business or institutional activity.[64] A distinction must therefore be drawn between protests targeting only the affairs of the workplace and political protests that use the workplace setting as a rhetorical device — the two extremes of a spectrum along which the political content of a workplace protest crescendos.[65] Brown offers a ready example of the latter extreme, with Dr Brown seeking to bolster a political point by depicting in film the operations in the forest coupe.[66] Clubb illustrates the former, as Mrs Clubb’s approaching a couple accessing an abortion clinic related almost exclusively to the affairs of the clinic in giving effect to a private health decision.[67] Between these poles lies the conduct of Ms Hoyt, the second plaintiff in Brown, and of Mr Preston, both directing a political point to the workplace itself.[68]
In taking action to shield workplaces from protest movements, the drafter is best advised to isolate the political content of the demonstrations under consideration and assess whether that specific content might be communicated as effectively elsewhere. Where the site is leveraged for its rhetorical value,[69] or has some other property enhancing the political communications there made — for instance, its tendency to bring opposing viewpoints together in an environment conducive to discourse[70] — the ability to protest in meaningful proximity to the schwerpunkt may be a condition of validity[71] Otherwise, the group discriminated against in the legislation might simply be required to demonstrate elsewhere.[72] In Mr Preston’s case, for instance, the essential political content was the material displayed on the placards and pamphlets,[73] elevated by the disharmony between his message and his proximity to the clinic. However, the need for additional paraphernalia made clear that the setting itself was not used as the focal communication, and so exclusion from the location imposed a less severe burden.
Also properly factored into the scope of the restrictions is the third consideration — non-commercial interests that might affect the case for protection. Instructive here is the relative weight attributed by the plurality in Clubb to the person’s dignity and privacy over the commercial interest in non-interference with the workplace. This ranking of legislative ends is clearly sound: the dignity of the person is a cardinal value of democratic society,[74] and corporations have never enjoyed the same suite of protections as the individual at law.[75] However, it ought not be pushed too far. Policy interests are far from perfectly commensurable, and it would be rash to assume that anti-protest legislation will invariably have a better case for validity where its purpose draws on something akin to human rights rather than ‘business rights’.[76] On the other hand, however, burdening the freedom of political communication for purely commercial reasons is fraught.[77] The better position, then, is that a bona fide[78] human end to the legislation might buttress any commercial objective, increasing the extent to which the freedom of political communication can permissibly be curtailed. For example, the material supporting the Summary Offences and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (Qld) fixates on the danger to health and safety caused by locking devices used in environmental protests alongside the attendant business cost of the protests.[79]
IV Conclusion
This essay has considered the implications of the contrasting decisions in Brown and Clubb for the enactment of future laws concerning protests that affect workplaces. Ultimately, it is suggested that the scope of these laws ought to be set in a manner sensitive to their potential discriminatory effect, the importance of the site of the workplace to the targeted protest group, and any non-commercial concerns that might support legislative intervention. Approaching the matter in such a way ensures the propriety of the compromise between policy interests captured in the final provisions, in turn making certain that government interference with the liberties of the people is well justified.
Bibliography
A Articles
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Bronitt, Simon and George Williams, ‘Political Freedom as an Outlaw: Republican Theory and Political Protest’ (1996) 18 Adelaide Law Review 289
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Endres, Danielle and Samantha Senda-Cook, ‘Location Matters: The Rhetoric of Place in Protest’ (2011) 97(3) Quarterly Journal of Speech 257
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Higgins, Ruth CA, ‘Recent Cases’ (2017) 91 Australian Law Journal 886
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McGlone, Daniel, ‘The Right to Protest’ (2005) 30 Alternative Law Journal 274
Meagher, Dan, ‘What is “Political Communication”? The Rationale and Scope of the Implied Freedom of Political Communication’ (2004) 28 Melbourne University Law Review 438
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Ricketts, Aidan, ‘Freedom from Political Communication’ (2015) 40 Alternative Law Journal 234
Ryan, Hannah and Chloe Wood, ‘Giving the Environment a Voice — The Landmark Decision of Brown v Tasmania’ (2018) 33 Australian Environment Review 34
Sifris, Ronli and Tania Penovic, ‘Anti-Abortion Protest and the Effectiveness of Victoria’s Safe Access Zones: An Analysis’ (2018) 44 Monash University Law Review 317
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Stone, Adrienne, ‘Proportionality and Its Alternatives’ (2019) 48 Federal Law Review 123
Stone, Adrienne, ‘Rights, Personal Rights and Freedoms: The Nature of the Freedom of Political Communication’ (2001) 25 Melbourne University Law Review 374
Stone, Adrienne, ‘The Limits of Constitutional Text and Structure: Standards of Review and the Freedom of Political Communication’ (1999) 23 Melbourne University Law Review 668
Stone, Adrienne, ‘Viewpoint Discrimination, Hate Speech Laws, and the Double-Sided Nature of Freedom of Speech’ (2017) 32 Constitutional Commentary 687
Stone, Adrienne and Simon Evans, ‘Australia: Freedom of Speech and Insult in the High Court of Australia’ (2006) 4 International Journal of Constitutional Law 677
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B Books
Alston, Philip (ed), Towards and Australian Bill of Rights (Centre for International and Public Law, 1994)
Barak, Aharon, The Judge in a Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2006)
Crisp, LF, Australian National Government (Longman Cheshire, 4th ed, 1978)
Daly, Erin, Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013)
De Tocqueville, Alexis, Democracy in America, tr Henry Reeve (Colonial Press, 1899)
Douglas, Roger, Dealing with Demonstrations: The Law of Public Protest and its Enforcement (Federation Press, 2004)
Gaze, Beth and Melinda Jones, Law, Liberty and Australian Democracy (Law Book Co, 1990)
Gerangelos, Peter, et al, Winterton’s Australian Federal Constitutional Law: Commentary & Materials (Thomson Reuters, 4th ed, 2017)
Lumb, RD, Australian Constitutionalism (Butterworths, 1983)
Saunders, Cheryl and Adrienne Stone (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Australian Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2018)
Stellios, James, Zines’ The High Court and the Constitution (Federation Press, 6th ed, 2015)
Williams, George and David Hume, Human Rights under the Australian Constitution (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed, 2013)
Williams, George, Sean Brennan and Andrew Lynch, Blackshield and Williams Australian Constitutional Law and Theory (Federation Press, 7th ed, 2018)
C Cases
APLA Ltd v Legal Services Commissioner of New South Wales (2005) 224 CLR 322
Attorney-General (SA) v Adelaide City Corporation (2013) 249 CLR 1
Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd (2001) 208 CLR 199
Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1992) 177 CLR 106
Brown v Tasmania (2017) 261 CLR 328
Clubb v Edwards (2019) 93 ALJR 448
Coleman v Power (2004) 220 CLR 1
Comcare v Banerji (2019) 93 ALJR 900
Cox v Louisiana, 379 US 536 (1965)
Cunliffe v Commonwealth (1994) 182 CLR 272
Daniels Corporation International Pty Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2002) 213 CLR 543
Environment Protection Authority v Caltex Refining Co Pty Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 477
Gibson v Commissioner of Police [2007] NSWCA 251
Hogan v Hinch (2011) 243 CLR 506
King Gee Clothing Co Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1945) 71 CLR 184
Kruger v Commonwealth (1997) 190 CLR 1
Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 189 CLR 520
Levy v Victoria (1997) 189 CLR 579
Maloney v The Queen (2013) 252 CLR 168
McCloy v New South Wales (2015) 257 CLR 178
Monis v The Queen (2013) 249 CLR 92
Mulholland v Australian Electoral Commission (2004) 220 CLR 181
Murphy v Electoral Commissioner (2016) 261 CLR 28
Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Wills (1992) 177 CLR 1
Neal v The Queen (1982) 149 CLR 305
RAV v City of St Paul, 505 US 377 (1992)
Secretary, Department of Health and Community Services v JWB and SMB (1992) 175 CLR 218
Tajjour v New South Wales (2014) 254 CLR 508
Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104
Trade Practices Commission v Abbco Iceworks Pty Ltd (1994) 52 FCR 96
Unions NSW v New South Wales (2013) 252 CLR 530
United States v Cruikshank, 92 US 542 (1876)
D Legislation
Criminal Code Amendment (Prevention of Lawful Activity) Bill 2015 (WA)
Inclosed Lands, Crimes and Law Enforcement Legislation Amendment (Interference) Act 2016 (NSW)
Peaceful Assembly Act 1992 (Qld)
Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic)
Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 (Tas)
Right to Farm Act 2019 (NSW)
Summary Offences and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (Qld)
Summary Offences and Sentencing Amendment Act 2014 (Vic)
Wildlife (Game) (Hunting Season) Regulations 1994 (Vic)
Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Act 2014 (Tas)
E International instruments
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, opened for signature 16 December 1966, 999 UNTS 171 (entered into force 23 March 1976)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res 217A (III), UN GAOR, UN Doc A/810 (10 December 1948)
F Parliamentary materials
Human Rights Law Centre, Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Bill 2014 (Tas): An Analysis of International Human Rights Implications (Submission to Tasmanian Legislative Council, 28 October 2014)
New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 17 September 2019
New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 15 March 2016
Queensland, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 19 September 2019
Tasmania, Parliamentary Debates, House of Assembly, 16 April 2013
Tasmania, Parliamentary Debates, House of Assembly, 26 June 2014
Victoria, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 12 December 2013
Victoria, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 22 October 2015
Western Australia, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 25 February 2015
G Internet materials
Butson, Tyron, ‘Pro-choice, ‘Pro-Life Protesters Face Off as MPs Debate Abortion Bill’, SBS News (online 6 August 2019) <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/pro-choice-pro-life-protesters-face-off-as-m....
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Clark, Martin, ‘Brown v Tasmania’ Opinions on High (Blog Post, 18 October 2017) <https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/opinionsonhigh/2017/10/18/brown-case-page-2/>
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Deagon, Alex, ‘There and Back Again? The High Court’s Decision in Clubb v Edwards; Preston v Avery [2019] HCA 11’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 3 May 2019) <https://auspublaw.org/2019/05/there-and-back-again-the-high-courts-decis...
Eldridge, John and Tim Matthews, ‘The Right to Protest after Brown v Tasmania’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 2 November 2017) <https://auspublaw.org/2017/11/the-right-to-protest-after-brown-v-tasmania/>
Stone, Adrienne, ‘Free Speech Balanced on a Knife’s Edge: Monis v The Queen’ Opinions on High (Blog Post, 26 April 2013) <https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/opinionsonhigh/2013/04/26/stone-monis/>
Twomey, Anne, ‘McCloy v New South Wales: Out with US Corruption and in with Germany Proportionality’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 15 October 2015) <https://auspublaw.org/2015/10/mccloy-v-new-south-wales/>
Wesson, Murray, ‘McCloy, Proportionality and the Doctrine of Deference’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 3 March 2016) <https://auspublaw.org/2016/03/mccloy-proportionality-and-the-question-of...
Arif, Arisha and Emily Azar, ‘Clubb v Edwards; Preston v Avery: Structured Proportionality — Has Anything Changed?’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 3 May 2019) <https://auspublaw.org/2019/05/clubb-v-edwards-preston-v-avery-structured...
[1] See, eg, TRS Allan, ‘Citizenship and Obligation: Civil Disobedience and Civil Dissent’ (1996) 55 Cambridge Law Journal 89, 89; Anna Walsh, ‘Freedom of Expression, Belief and Assembly: The Banning of Protests Outside of Abortion Clinics in Australia’ (2018) 25 Journal of Law & Medicine 1119, 1119; Beth Gaze and Melinda Jones, Law, Liberty and Australian Democracy (Law Book Co, 1990) 115; Roger Douglas, Dealing with Demonstrations: The Law of Public Protest and its Enforcement (Federation Press, 2004) 1; United States v Cruikshank, 92 US 542, 551 (1876). Cf Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, tr Henry Reeve (Colonial Press, 1899) vol 1, ch 12.
[2] See Levy v Victoria (1997) 189 CLR 579, 595 (Brennan CJ), 609 (Dawson J), 613 (Toohey and Gummow JJ), 620 (Gaudron J), 625 (McHugh J), 641 (Kirby J); Brown v Tasmania (2017) 261 CLR 328, 383 [182] (Gageler J), 461 [415] (Gordon J); Clubb v Edwards (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 543 [455] (Edelman J). See also Kruger v Commonwealth (1997) 190 CLR 1, 115 (Gaudron J).
[3] See generally Neal v The Queen (1982) 149 CLR 305, 316–17 (Murphy J); Cox v Louisiana, 379 US 536, 548, 550–2 (1965).
[4] See Douglas (n 1) 3–4; Rebecca Elizabeth Dean and Susie Allanson, ‘Abortion in Australia: Access versus Protest’ (2004) 11 Journal of Law & Medicine 510, 511, 515. Cf LF Crisp, Australian National Government (Longman Cheshire, 4th ed, 1978) 134.
[5] See Simon Bronitt and George Williams, ‘Political Freedom as an Outlaw: Republican Theory and Political Protest’ (1996) 18 Adelaide Law Review 289, 290–1; Aidan Ricketts, ‘Freedom from Political Communication’ (2015) 40 Alternative Law Journal 234, 236. See also Levy v Victoria (1997) 189 CLR 579, 607 (Dawson J).
[6] See Daniel McGlone, ‘The Right to Protest’ (2005) 30 Alternative Law Journal 274, 275. See also Clubb v Edwards (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 462–3 [8] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ); Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104, 148 (Brennan J); Adrienne Stone, ‘Rights, Personal Rights and Freedoms: The Nature of the Freedom of Political Communication’ (2001) 25 Melbourne University Law Review 374, 400–1; James Stellios, Zines’ The Hugh Court and the Constitution (Federation Press, 6th ed, 2015) 585–7. Cf Peaceful Assembly Act 1992 (Qld) s 5.
[7] See generally Nicholas Aroney and Lorraine Finlay, ‘Protesting the Anti-Protest Laws: Will a Constitutional Challenge Succeed?’ (2016) 31(3) Australian Environment Review 67.
[8] See, eg, Inclosed Lands, Crimes and Law Enforcement Legislation Amendment (Interference) Act 2016 (NSW); Criminal Code Amendment (Prevention of Lawful Activity) Bill 2015 (WA). See also Summary Offences and Sentencing Amendment Act 2014 (Vic).
[9] (2017) 261 CLR 328.
[10] (2019) 93 ALJR 448.
[11] See generally Adrienne Stone, ‘Proportionality and Its Alternatives’ (2019) 48 Federal Law Review 123; Sir Anthony Mason, ‘Proportionality and Calibrated Scrutiny: A Commentary’ (2020) 48 Federal Law Review 286; Anne Carter, Bridging the Divide? Proportionality and Calibrated Scrutiny (2020) 48 Federal Law Review 282; Arisha Arif and Emily Azar, ‘Clubb v Edwards; Preston v Avery: Structured Proportionality — Has Anything Changed?’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 3 May 2019) <https://auspublaw.org/2019/05/clubb-v-edwards-preston-v-avery-structured....
[12] See especially Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 550 [490] (Edelman J). See also Tajjour v New South Wales (2014) 254 CLR 508, 558 [60] (Hayne J), 578 [145] (Gageler J); McCloy v New South Wales (2015) 257 CLR 178, 230–1 [126] (Gageler J), 258 [220] (Nettle J).
[13] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 354–7 [66]–[78]. See Protesters Act ss 3, 5.
[14] Ibid 395–7 [224]–[232] (Gageler J), 410–13 [263]–[269], 423–5 [292]–[294] (Nettle J).
[15] Ibid 355–7 [72]–[80] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 395 [225] (Gageler J).
[16] Protesters Act s 11(1)–(2).
[17] Ibid s 11(7)–(8).
[18] Ibid ss 6(4), 8(1), 15–17. See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 468 [440]–[442] (Gordon J).
[19] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 357 [78]–[79], 358–9 [85], [87], 367 [118], 371 [135]–[136], 372–3 [144]–[146] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 389 [199], 395–7 [224]–[232] (Gageler J), 412–13 [269], 423–5 [292]–[295] (Nettle J). Cf 471–2 [453]–[454] (Gordon J), 507 [567] (Edelman J).
[20] Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) ss 185B(1) (definition of ‘prohibited behaviour’), 185D; Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 (Tas) s 9.
[21] Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) s 185B(1) (definition of ‘safe access zone’); Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013 (Tas) s 9(1) (definition of ‘access zone’).
[22] Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 526–7 [368], [372]–[374].
[23] Ibid 528 [377]. Cf Protesters Act s 4(2).
[24] Ibid 503–4 [255], 515 [305].
[25] Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 503 [252], 515 [305].
[26] Ibid 485–6 [170]–[172].
[27] Ibid 486 [174].
[28] Ibid 548–9 [480]–[481].
[29] Ibid 468 [55], 477–8 [123]. See also 527 [375] (Gordon J).
[30] Ibid 475 [102], 478 [127].
[31] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 361–2 [92]–[95], 363 [101].
[32] See Shireen Morris and Adrienne Stone, ‘Abortion Protests and the Limits of Freedom of Political Communication: Clubb v Edwards; Preston v Avery’ (2018) 40 Sydney Law Review 395, 408–9. See also Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 390 [202] (Gageler J); RAV v City of St Paul, 505 US 377, 391–3 (1992).
[33] Morris and Stone (n 32) 408; Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 486 [172]–[174] (Gageler J).
[34] See also Mulholland v Australian Electoral Commission (2004) 220 CLR 181, 234 [147] (Gummow and Hayne JJ); Unions NSW v New South Wales (2013) 252 CLR 530, 578–9 [137], [141] (Keane J); McCloy v New South Wales (2015) 257 CLR 178, 272 [266] (Nettle J).
[35] See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 394–5 [220]–[223] (Gageler J). Cf 415–16 [276] (Nettle J), 462 [421] (Gordon J).
[36] See Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 467 [46], [48], 477 [121] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ).
[37] Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 472 [81].
[38] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 400 [240] (Nettle J).
[39] Ibid 346–7 [32]–[35], 367 [117] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 387 [191] (Gageler J), 399–400 [238]–[240], 402–3 [244]–[246] (Nettle J).
[40] Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 472 [81]. See also Eleanor Jones, ‘Implementing Protest-Free Zones around Abortion Clinics in Australia’ (2014) 36 Sydney Law Review 169, 171–2.
[41] Ibid 502–3 [251] (Nettle J), 527–8 [376] (Gordon J).
[42] Ibid 486 [173]. See also Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 461–2 [416] (Gordon J).
[43] Ibid 550 [488].
[44] Ibid 472 [82].
[45] Ibid 552 [499] (Edelman J). Cf Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res 217A (III), UN GAOR, UN Doc A/810 (10 December 1948) art 1; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, opened for signature 16 December 1966, 999 UNTS 171 (entered into force 23 March 1976) Preamble paras 1–2.
[46] Compare Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 363 [101] and Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 467–8 [47]–[51], 477 [122].
[47] Cf Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 504 [258] (Nettle J), 552 [499] (Edelman J).
[48] See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 373 [149] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ). See also King Gee Clothing Co Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1945) 71 CLR 184, 195 (Dixon J).
[49] See, eg, Gibson v Commissioner of Police [2007] NSWCA 251, [6], [10]–[12] (Beazley, Giles and Ipp JJA).
[50] (1997) 189 CLR 579.
[51] Wildlife (Game) (Hunting Season) Regulations 1994 (Vic) reg 5.
[52] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 391 [205].
[53] Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 486 [174] (Gageler J), 549 [481] (Edelman J). See also Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 387–8 [192]–[193] (Gageler J); Cass R Sunstein, ‘Free Speech Now’ (1992) 59 University of Chicago Law Review 255, 296. Cf Stone (n 11) 151–2.
[54] See Rosalind Dixon, ‘Calibrated Proportionality’ (2019) 48 Federal Law Review 92, 111.
[55] Levy (1997) 189 CLR 579, 608–9 (Dawson J), 613–14 (Toohey and Gummow JJ), 620 (Gaudron J) 627 (McHugh J).
[56] See, eg, Tasmania, Parliamentary Debates, House of Assembly, 16 April 2013, 51 (Ms O’Byrne); Tasmania, Parliamentary Debates, House of Assembly, 26 June 2014, 42 (Mr Rockliff); New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 15 March 2016, 33 (Kevin Anderson), 34 (Michael Johnsen), 35 (Paul Toole).
[57] Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 361 [92] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ). Cf Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1992) 177 CLR 106, 145–6 (Mason CJ).
[58] Ibid 361–2 [95] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 390 [202]–[203] (Gageler J).
[59] See Dixon (n 54) 104.
[60] See Ricketts (n 5) 234; Matthew Higgins and Mark Tadajewski, ‘Anti-Corporate Protest as Consumer Spectacle’ (2002) 40 Management Decision 363, 363–4; Frank GA de Bakker et al, ‘Social Movements, Civil Society and Corporations: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead’ (2013) 5–6 Organization Studies 573, 576.
[61] See Brayden G King and Nicholas A Pearce, ‘The Contentiousness of Markets: Politics, Social Movements, and Institutional Change in Markets’ (2010) 36 Annual Review of Sociology 249, 251; Sidney Tarrow, ‘Transnational Politics: Contention and Institution in International Politics’ (2001) 4 Annual Review of Political Science 1, 1–2.
[62] See Levy (1997) 189 CLR 579, 624–6 (McHugh J); Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 367 [117] (Kiefel, Bell and Keane JJ), 387–8 [191]–[193], 389 [199], 390–1 [203]–[204] (Gageler J), 407–8 [258] (Nettle J). See also Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 472 [80] (Kiefel, Bell and Keane JJ). See also Thomas P Crocker, ‘Displacing Dissent: The Role of “Place” in First Amendment Jurisprudence’ (2007) 75 Fordham Law Review 2587.
[63] See APLA Ltd v Legal Services Commissioner of New South Wales (2005) 224 CLR 322, 451 [381] (Hayne J); Hogan v Hinch (2011) 243 CLR 506, 544 [50] (French CJ); Unions NSW v New South Wales (2013) 252 CLR 530, 554 [36] (French CJ, Hayne, Crennan, Kiefel and Bell JJ), 574 [119] (Keane J).
[64] See Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104, 124–5 (Mason CJ, Toohey and Gaudron JJ); APLA Ltd v Legal Services Commissioner of New South Wales (2005) 224 CLR 322, 351 [29] (Gleeson CJ and Heydon J), 478 [451]–[453] (Callinan J).
[65] See generally Danielle Endres and Samantha Senda-Cook, ‘Location Matters: The Rhetoric of Place in Protest’ (2011) 97 Quarterly Journal of Speech 257.
[66] See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 343 [15] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 484 [497]–[498] (Edelman J). See also J Robert Cox, ‘The Die is Cast: Topical and Ontological Dimensions of the Locus of the Irreparable’ (1982) 68 Quarterly Journal of Speech 227, 229–31.
[67] See Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 503 [252] (Nettle J).
[68] See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 342–3 [13]–[14] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 483 [493]–[496] (Edelman J); Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 475–6 [106] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 543 [456] (Edelman J). See also Monis v The Queen (2013) 249 CLR 92, 177 [229] (Hayne J).
[69] See John Eldridge and Tim Matthews, ‘The Right to Protest after Brown v Tasmania’ AUSPUBLAW (Blog Post, 2 November 2017) <https://auspublaw.org/2017/11/the-right-to-protest-after-brown-v-tasmania/>.
[70] See Endres and Senda-Cook (n 65) 276.
[71] See Brown (2017) 261 CLR 328, 407–8 [258] (Nettle J); Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 493 [210] (Gageler J).
[72] See Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 472–3 [83] (Kiefel, Bell and Keane JJ), 501–2 [247] (Nettle J), 527 [375] (Gordon J). See, eg, Tyron Butson, ‘Pro-choice, ‘Pro-Life Protesters Face Off as MPs Debate Abortion Bill’, SBS News (online 6 August 2019) <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/pro-choice-pro-life-protesters-face-off-as-m....
[73] See Clubb (2019) 93 ALJR 448, 475–6 [106] (Kiefel CJ, Bell and Keane JJ), 543 [456] (Edelman J).
[74] See Aharon Barak, The Judge in a Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2006) 85, quoted in Monis v The Queen (2013) 249 CLR 92, 182–3 [247] (Heydon J); Secretary, Department of Health and Community Services v JWB and SMB (1992) 175 CLR 218, 266 (Brennan J); Erin Daly, Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) 132–44. See also Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Wills (1992) 177 CLR 1, 77 (Deane and Toohey JJ); Theophanous v Herald & Weekly Times Ltd (1994) 182 CLR 104, 178–9 (Deane J).
[75] See, eg, Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd (2001) 208 CLR 199, 258 [132] (Gummow and Hayne JJ); Environment Protection Authority v Caltex Refining Co Pty Ltd (1993) 178 CLR 477, 507–8 (Mason CJ and Toohey J), 517 (Brennan J), 548 (McHugh J); Daniels Corporation International Pty Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2002) 213 CLR 543, 559 [31] (Gleeson CJ, Gaudron, Gummow and Hayne JJ), citing Trade Practices Commission v Abbco Iceworks Pty Ltd (1994) 52 FCR 96.
[76] See Mary Heath and Peter Burdon, ‘Silencing of Activism in Australian Law’ (2017) 42 Alternative Law Journal 190, 193–4. See also New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 15 March 2016, 7374 (Adam Searle).
[77] See Patrick Emerton and Maria O’Sullivan, ‘Private Rights, Protest and Place in Brown v Tasmania’ (2018) 44 Monash University Law Review 458, 464–5; Human Rights Law Centre, Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Bill 2014 (Tas): An Analysis of International Human Rights Implications (Submission to Tasmanian Legislative Council, 28 October 2014) 1–2 [6], 6–7 [27].
[78] See Levy (1997) 189 CLR 579, 627 (McHugh J), 635, 642 (Kirby J).
[79] See Queensland, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 19 September 2019, 3024–6 (Mark Ryan). See also Right to Farm Act 2019 (NSW); New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 17 September 2019, 1483–7 (Adam Marshall).