Chris Merritt
The Australian
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Contact Chris
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Past articles by Chris:
Unis urged: freedom of speech more important than people’s feelings
Former High Court chief justice Robert French has warned universities face the risk of legislative intervention unless they provide a robust defence of free speech on campus. → Read More
Former judge, corruption fighter Donald Stewart dies aged 86
Donald Stewart, a former judge and corruption fighter, has died at the age of 86. → Read More
Bowraville murders: Gabrielle Upton needs crash course in how to be colour blind
NSW Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton seems to have learned the wrong lesson from the way her states justice system failed the families of three dead children from the town of Bowraville. → Read More
Hall & Wilcox move to embed innovation with board appointment
HALL & Wilcox has moved to entrench a culture of innovation by appointing a new board member, Peter Williams, who is chief executive of Deloitte Digital and chairman of the Deloitte innovation council. → Read More
Low demand continues to hit growth: law firms face weak demand, increased competition
THE nation’s law firms are set for a period of sustained low growth because of weak demand for legal services, increased competition and entrenched cost-consciousness among corporate clients. → Read More
Spy immunity change overdue
THERE is a big weakness in the nation’s counterterrorism laws, and it has nothing to do with the fact that ASIO is not permitted to torture terrorists. → Read More
Counterterrorism laws pave way for ASIO to use torture, says council
THE NSW Council for Civil Liberties has called for a one-line amendment to ensure the government’s proposed changes to counterterrorism laws do not leave the way open for ASIO officers to argue they have legal immunity for torture. → Read More
Call to put interests of litigation funders’ clients before shareholders
LITIGATION funders would have to give priority to the interests of their clients rather than their shareholders under plans for a regulatory overhaul that have been presented to the federal government. → Read More
Integrated Legal Holdings calls for reprieve on $12.6m loan repayments
THE nation’s third listed law firm, Integrated Legal Holdings, is starting to emerge from a major restructuring and cost-cutting program aimed at persuading its bankers not to demand the immediate repayment of loans worth $12.6 million. → Read More
When the adjudicator becomes arbiter of taste, our free press suffers
IF the Australian Press Council were a court, its excesses would be short-lived. The courts, unlike the industry-appointed press complaints body, have a self-correcting mechanism that eliminates the moral hazard associated with unchecked power. → Read More
In Disney land, life turns sour even for foodies
AFTER seven months of passionate argument, formal hearings, quasi-litigation and wasted time, the Press Council is edging ever so slowly towards a final ruling on whether it will allow food writers to express an unqualified opinion in favour of eating kangaroos. → Read More
Press watchdog no friend of freedom
FOR an organisation charged with standing guard against attacks on freedom of speech, Julian Disney’s press council has not just fallen asleep on the watch — it has joined the other side. → Read More
In Disney land, life turns sour even for foodies
AFTER seven months of passionate argument, formal hearings, quasi-litigation and wasted time, the Press Council is edging ever so slowly towards a final ruling on whether it will allow food writers to express an unqualified opinion in favour of eating kangaroos. → Read More
David Flint lashes Press Council ruling as naive and impractical
FORMER Australian Press Council chairman David Flint believes the organisation now led by Julian Disney has created a naive and impractical rule that will encourage media intrusion on grieving families. → Read More
Law of returns as Slater & Gordon net profit hits $61m
LISTED law firm Slater & Gordon has capped a bumper year, unveiling a 47.2 per cent increase in profit, 21.2 per cent growth in annual dividends and the acquisition of two more law firms. → Read More
A new world of pain due to a word
THE scale of the legal crisis confronting Clive Palmer can be gauged by just one word. → Read More
‘Blackmail’ of class actions needs reform
THERE is now very little doubt that corporate Australia is facing a system of justice that, intentionally or otherwise, looks more like a system of blackmail. → Read More
Second wave of litigation looms
CORPORATE Australia is being confronted with a new wave of securities litigation, which is now the single biggest factor contributing to the growth of class actions. → Read More
Fair Work Ombudsman raises the Bar in terms of gender equality
THE Fair Work Ombudsman’s office has become one of the first federal agencies to allocate its most lucrative legal work to female barristers. → Read More
Give international human rights rulings little weight: Tim Wilson
CONFLICTING approaches to freedom of religion by courts in Europe and the US have triggered a warning about the dangers of being overly influenced by the way other countries deal with human rights. → Read More