A report released on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, suggests that council bureaucracy is impeding the right to protest in Australia. The report, co-authored by the Australian Democracy Network (ADN) and Deakin University’s Centre for Law as Protection, details incidents where councils have mandated public liability insurance for rallies on council land.
One instance involved a regional New South Wales council telling a protest organiser they needed a $20m public liability insurance policy to hold a rally in a park. The report also expresses concern over the ability of some regional and urban councils to impose financial penalties if public gatherings occur without a council permit.
Anastasia Radievska, a report co-author and ADN protest rights campaigner, stated that such requirements could discourage community groups from speaking out on local issues. The report suggests that across most Australian jurisdictions, protest may be considered unlawful or unprotected without permission from police, councils, or place managers.
The report advocates for existing permit systems to be viewed as notification processes rather than authorisation, and recommends the elimination of insurance requirements for protests. New South Wales carries a $2,200 fine for public gatherings held on council land without a permit, a default under the Local Government Act, though some councils have differing policies.