$20m public liability insurance to rally in a park: how council red tape hinders the right to protest
New research from the Australian Democracy Network and Deakin University suggests that local council regulations, such as mandatory public liability insurance, are hindering the right to protest. Organizers are increasingly discouraged by the financial and bureaucratic hurdles required to hold rallies on public land.
Why it matters
This highlights a growing tension between local administrative governance and the fundamental democratic right to public assembly.
Protests on council land are being stymied by red tape, new research shows. Photograph: Michael Currie/Speed Media/REX/Shutterstock Protests on council land are being stymied by red tape, new research shows. Photograph: Michael Currie/Speed Media/REX/Shutterstock Australia news $20m public liability insurance to rally in a park: how council red tape hinders the right to protest Public gatherings stymied by bureaucracy, Australian Democracy Network and Deakin University researchers find
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Prefer the Guardian on Google Council red tape is stymieing the right to protest, a report has said, after a regional New South Wales council told a protest organiser they needed a $20m public liability insurance policy to hold a rally in a park.
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