Minns ‘confident’ NSW protest laws will withstand constitutional challenge
Asked about the constitutional challenge to the anti-protest laws, Chris Minns says he’s “reluctant to front-run the court”, but that:
All I will say is that we’ve run our legislation thoroughly through the crown solicitor. We are alive to the threat from the high court and a reversal of these changes. And in some cases, that’s tempered us in terms of rushing into bills. In other cases, we don’t think that we can wait.
But we’re all confident that they’re sound constitutionally. But I’m not second guessing, or I guess front-running, the high court. They’ve got to make the decision on it. But we’re comfortable – in fact, I don’t want to say that – we’re confident that the laws will with stand a constitutional challenge.
Key events
Patrick Commins
Reserve Bank of Australia ‘concerned’ inflation is too high
The Reserve Bank board is “concerned” about the recent pick-up in inflation, with newly released minutes confirming the central bank may have to hike rates in 2026.
The RBA at its last meeting kept the cash rate at 3.6%, but with inflation “well above” what had been expected in the September quarter, the minutes show that any thoughts of a rate cut have evaporated.
Members noted that the economy appeared to be running a little too hot, and that they may have to tap the brakes with another rate hike “to bring aggregate demand and supply back to balance”.
That said, “members judged that it was too early to determine whether inflation would be more persistent than they had assumed in November”, the minutes read.
NAB’s chief economist, Sally Auld, said the minutes reinforced the “hawkish” tone from the governor, Michele Bullock, and predicted the RBA would hike in February and then again in May.
The next board meeting is on 2–3 February, and follows a key inflation report for the December quarter, due 28 January.
Christmas seafood fans urged by police to be wary of cheap oysters
People on the hunt for fresh seafood in NSW this Christmas are being urged by police to be wary of cheap oysters and only to buy from “reputable sellers”.
A four-day blitz on rural crime by NSW police over the weekend included targeting alleged offenders for “a number of offences, including oyster theft”, police said in a statement today.
Officers inspected 13 oyster leases on the NSW South Coast including on the Clyde River, Batemans Bay, Bermagui River, Wapengo and Wagonga Inlet, Narooma, police said, as well as undertaking on-water patrols and checking fishing licences.
Detective sergeant Michael Calleja said cheap seafood was “not worth the risk”:
Not only is it illegal, but it may not be good for your health. Illegal sellers are not bound by strict health requirements, making the oysters potentially unsafe to consume.
Oyster theft can attract fines of up to $275,000 and imprisonment.
NSW Labor backbencher on protest laws: ‘This could go so wrong’
Penry Buckley
A NSW Labor backbencher has warned proposed protest laws restricting public assemblies for up to three months after a terrorist attack “could go so wrong” and are likely unconstitutional.
Upper house member Stephen Lawrence, who is also a barrister specialising in public law, has told parliament he believes the laws will limit the implied freedom of political communication in the Australian constitution.
Many have seen the legislation, which would prevent the authorisation of public assemblies under NSW’s form 1 system after a terrorist incident, as effectively banning all protests. Lawrence says a provision allowing a “public assembly restriction declaration”, or Pard, to be made if there is a concern for public safety would be satisfied “by any large protest at any time”.
Lawrence says changes giving police move-on powers if a person is obstructing another person or traffic under a Pard would also capture crowd behaviour at most protests. “In summary, our freedom to politically communicate by way of protest will be limited by this bill,” he says.
He continues:
In that scenario, we could potentially be in 1978 Mardi Gras territory, violence may occur, protests may be ended that are non-threatening and in a way fundamentally inconsistent with free speech and the right to free association and assembly. That need for caution I raise should not be understood as a criticism of the way NSW Police have handled protest-related matters …
It is us, not the police, who will decide by passing this bill, to up the ante, to remove the pressure valve of protest, to create a pressure cooker …
A dystopian vision, if I’ve ever heard one, but our hard working police will have to enforce it, and I wish them all the best of luck. This could go so wrong.
Luca Ittimani
CBA repays $68m to customers after charging $270m in excessive fees
Commonwealth Bank has announced it will repay $68m to low-income customers who paid fees the regulator has described as excessive, in a move cheered by consumer advocates.
CBA and subsidiary Bankwest charged about $270m in fees to about 2.2 million low-income customers over five years, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission found in July. The customers could have been exempted from account-keeping, dishonour and overdraw charges.
While other banks, such as Westpac, have committed to fully repay what the regulator deemed “excessive fees”, CBA had declined to do so for the last five months.
CBA’s chief executive, Matt Comyn, last month said the fees were charged in accordance with the terms and conditions and repayment could be seen as taking shareholder money, though he foreshadowed room for “goodwill” payments.
The bank today said it would deliver $68m worth of those from February 2026 onwards. It would contact eligible concession customers who faced “unusually high fees”. CBA had previously repaid $25m in separate fees that Asic had judged to be excessive.
Consumer advocacy group Choice, which has campaigned for a full refund, welcomed the bank’s adjustment. Choice’s Morgan Campbell said:
This isn’t the full amount of unfair fees but it’s a big win for thousands of CommBank customers on low incomes.
Commbank should never have charged these fees in the first place, and we shouldn’t have had to drag them kicking and screaming to make these refunds.
Protest group spokesperson’s reaction to banning use of ‘globalise the intifada’ shows it will divide community: Minns
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has responded to Palestine Action Group spokesperson Josh Lees’ comments earlier today about the Palestinian resistance phrase “globalise the intifada”.
To recap, Lees said the phrase had never been chanted at the marches he’d been at over the past two years, but that Minns banning it may make it more popular. It was chanted last night at a demonstration specifically opposing the anti-protest laws and the proposed banning of the phrase as “hate speech”.
Minns responded, saying Lees’ response was “almost troll-like”:
It’s a serious moment for New South Wales. And [that is an] almost troll-like response, [as if] it’s a big game. I don’t think it’s a big game. I think that the consequences here are serious. They’re massive. The implications for families and communities are huge. And I don’t think that it is ironic – I’m calling it out. I do think that it leads to violence in our community. I think that it leads to disharmony.
I want to point out to everybody, by the way – a big part of that group’s message to the people of New South Wales is that you can trust them – yes, there might be some fringe elements but you can trust them.
We were repeatedly assured that yesterday’s protest was going to be a peaceful vigil for the lives that were lost last Sunday. Instead, we’re treated to calls or chants of “globalise the intifada”. That tells you everything that you need to know about what it can mean if we don’t have bright red lines in relation to protests in New South Wales in the context of a terrorism event.
I think that the verdict is in. After two years, after the marches, after the division, after the huge police resources that have gone into it, the verdict is in – this will divide our community.
Police and local council to team up on ensuring safety of public Christmas gatherings in east Sydney
Police will work with local councils where there have historically been large public gatherings at Christmastime, such as Bondi and nearby Bronte, to ensure they are safe, NSW police minister Yasmin Catley has said.
Catley said:
Police will work closely with the community. They already have a great relationship with the local councils there and the councils are aware of any large gatherings they’re expecting and working hand-in-glove with them and make sure they have the resources they need. Just remembering the police always do an in-depth risk assessment for every event that they know is on in the city and we know they do thousands in the city. And they will assess the risk and they will apply the correct amount of police for that risk.
Waverley Council has asked that there not be large gatherings at Bronte like there have been in the past; Catley addresses this, saying:
[Police] are working with the council. And they’re having discussions in relation to that. They’re asking people to be sensible and I’m hopeful that that’s the case. They will make sure the resources are there that are required for that event to take place.
Minns condemns post reshared by Wayne Swan criticising people who booed PM
Chris Minns has condemned a post reshared by the former deputy prime minister and treasurer Wayne Swan on X (formerly Twitter) that said Jewish people who had booed Albanese on arrival at the Bondi vigil were hypocritical because they supported Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who “allowed 1,200 Israelis to be slaughtered by Hamas then murdered 70,000 innocent people in Gaza”.
Asked if he condemned this post, Minns said:
I do. He shouldn’t have said it. I don’t know why he said it. I know that there were boos there on the weekend, but not everybody booed. This is the thing about roping everybody into the actions of one or two or ten or however many people. It’s not fair. I’ve seen it over and over again when it comes to protests or meetings or the like. There needs to be some restraint on what’s being said – particularly from prominent members of our community, and former leaders of the country.
Minns ‘confident’ NSW protest laws will withstand constitutional challenge
Asked about the constitutional challenge to the anti-protest laws, Chris Minns says he’s “reluctant to front-run the court”, but that:
All I will say is that we’ve run our legislation thoroughly through the crown solicitor. We are alive to the threat from the high court and a reversal of these changes. And in some cases, that’s tempered us in terms of rushing into bills. In other cases, we don’t think that we can wait.
But we’re all confident that they’re sound constitutionally. But I’m not second guessing, or I guess front-running, the high court. They’ve got to make the decision on it. But we’re comfortable – in fact, I don’t want to say that – we’re confident that the laws will with stand a constitutional challenge.
NSW premier gives examples of images and words he thinks should not appear at protests
Chris Minns today goes into some examples of placards and images and words that he thinks should not appear in public or in protests, after yesterday refusing to give examples of those things.
Minns says:
I’ve seen resistance to the government’s legislative agenda in recent days and I understand the concerns behind it. But I want make the point that in virtually all aspects of government policy, there’s an acknowledgment that words lead to actions. We hear it all the time. We accept that it is true. But if that’s the case, as an idea or a concept, then that must be the situation as it applies to protests in New South Wales.
How can it be that a protest can take place in the state and there’s a swastika tattooed on the Star of David on a poster in the middle of the city? Or photos of the Ayatollah, the leader of Iran? Or posters or flags of Hezbollah or Hamas? The terrorist leader, Hassan Nasrallah – Hezbollah’s leader, a big framed picture of that leader there. Shirts saying, “Death to the IDF”. A sign that says “All Zionists are neo-Nazis”.
Minns ‘grateful’ for passage of gun control and protest bill in NSW lower house
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he’s “very grateful” the bill has passed the lower house and is now being debated in the Legislative Council.
He continues:
We’re hopeful that the legislation can pass at some point today or in the early hours of tomorrow morning. As I said yesterday, the passage of this legislation is the single best thing in the short run to keep the people of New South Wales safe. And I want to acknowledge the leader of the opposition’s bipartisan approach to some of the difficult issues we’ve had to confront together in a short space of time.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is stepping up to speak to the media now.
