Speaking out against powerful interests should not come at the risk of financial ruin. In Australia, corporations, powerful vested interests and individuals are using the legal system to intimidate, silence and punish people who speak out, and work, in the public interest. People like human rights defenders, Country defenders, environmentalists, journalists, and victim-survivors of abuse and violence.
These legal tactics, known as Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), threaten more than the people they target, they undermine our democracy by discouraging public scrutiny and accountability and intimidating people into silence.
In Stop the SLAPP: Protecting Free Speech in Australia, I examine how Australia’s legal system enables these tactics and make the case for comprehensive Australian anti-SLAPP laws that protect journalists, activists, whistleblowers and communities standing up to power. Because our right to speak out means little if exercising it can cost us everything.
