Melbourne Activist Legal Support is conducting a statewide legal needs assessment to identify and analyse the scope and nature of legal issues faced by people involved in civil, political, environmental, and human rights movements in Victoria.
Did Victoria Police spray you with capsicum spray at the IMARC protest on 30 October 2019? You may be entitled to compensation. You will need to register by 13 July 2026 to continue your claim. If you do not register you cannot pursue your claim in the class action. Click here for more information and…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) celebrates the decision handed down by Her Honour Justice Harris in the Supreme Court of Victoria today in the landmark class action against Victoria Police challenging their use of grossly excessive force against protesters at the International Mining And Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne in 2019. Her Honour Justice Harris…
Joint statement with the Centre Against Racial Profiling 8 December 2025 We welcome the Human Rights Law Centre’s (HRLC) filing of a Federal Court challenge against the legality of the six-month “designated area” declared in the Melbourne CBD. We strongly support this legal intervention. The declaration of the entire CBD as a designated area for…
We introduce the new proposed anti-protest laws in Victoria and why they will shrink the political space in Victoria by further repressing public assembly and limiting freedom of political communication.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) expresses concern about the actions of Victoria Police on Sunday 31 August 2025 in Melbourne and failure to mitigate risks posed by neo-Nazis. Summary MALS observed that police operational tactics deployed on the day, which focused solely upon separating opposing groups, resulted in a failure to adequately manage the intimidating,…
In a submission to Australia’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR), MALS has assessed the Australian Government’s performance regarding its responsibility to uphold and protect our civil and political rights and the right to protest. A mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the UPR is a comprehensive peer review of UN member states’…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) expresses concern regarding the misuse of designated area powers, intimidatory and disproportionate policing and police aggression towards protesters. On 5 May 2025, a snap rally protesting the harms caused by Victoria Police was held on 9 May in the Naarm/Melbourne CBD starting at 5:00pm. This rally was in response to…
This report details areas of concern from observations made by Melbourne Activist Legal Support across the four days of protests at the Disrupt Land Forces expo, including police use of force and weaponry, special powers, arrests, treatment of legal observers, media narratives and strategic misinformation.
27 January 2025 The Policing of the DLF Protests, a comprehensive new report by Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS), details disturbing patterns of police misconduct, misuse of special powers, and media misinformation during the Disrupt Land Forces (DLF) protests in September 2024. The report, based on eyewitness accounts from trained independent legal observers, reveals a…
11 September 2024 Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) fielded a team of 20 independent legal observers to monitor the policing of the Disrupt Land Forces protest between 6.00am and 1.00pm, Wednesday 11 September 2024, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in Melbourne. Legal observers witnessed multiple incidents of excessive use of force by…
It is vital that all protest groups make plans in case police decide to apply anti-protest bail conditions against your group or campaign and understand how you can challenge them.
MALS is proud to publish our recent submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in response to their call for input to inform a thematic report on stigmatising narratives and implications on the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The submission…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) raises concerns regarding Victoria Police imposing harmful, unfair and arbitrary restrictions upon the right to peaceful assembly, and failing to consider and act compatibly with human rights under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. Summary Victoria Police have begun placing restrictions upon the use of a public address…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) expresses concern regarding the discriminatory policing, excessive use of police force, and obstruction of legal observers witnessed at the pro-Palestine counter-rally at the ‘Never Again Is Now’ event at Parliament House on Sunday 19 May, 2024.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) provides the below report regarding the policing of the 420 in the Park event. Background On Saturday 20 April 2024 MALS fielded a team of four trained legal observers at the ‘420 in the Park’ event at Flagstaff Gardens, West Melbourne, Victoria. ‘420 In the Park’ is an annual event…
12 April 2024 A requirement to obtain a permit to hold a protest, rally or public assembly undermines human rights, suppresses political expression, they’re discriminatory and are fundamentally incompatible with the core principles of democracy. Protest permits are completely antithetical to the very nature and purpose of protests. Melbourne Activist Legal Support urges the Victorian…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) expresses concern regarding the violent and unsafe policing of protesters and legal observers at the Free Palestine march in the Melbourne CBD on Sunday 4 February, 2024.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support expresses concern regarding the policing of the Webb Dock Picket between Friday, 19 January 2024 and Monday, 22 January 2024.
A team of trained, independent legal observers was present during the Victoria Police operation at Webb Dock in Port Melbourne on Monday 22 January 2024. This is a list of preliminary concerns.
Basic legal steps to take if you are affected by OC spray or assaulted by police at a protest in Victoria.
Information on the three main powers affecting people at protests inside a ‘designated area’:
1. searches
2. directions to remove face coverings
3. directions to leave the area.
MALS believes that the use of designated areas as a method of protest control undermines the rights to assembly, association, and political expression that are protected under sections 15 and 16 of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (the Charter)
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) has provided a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture recommending a ban on the police use of explosive weapons such as stinger grenades and flash-bangs, a prohibition on the use of police horses as crowd control weapons and far stricter controls on the use of OC spray and kinetic projectile weapons that were used during Melbourne’s anti-lockdown protests.
The latest CIVICUS Monitor global report, which analyses the extent to which civil society rights are respected, upheld, and protected, has found civic space in Australia remains ‘narrowed’.
In a report published on 12 January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that the Australian government’s treatment of protesters is undermining its credibility when promoting human rights abroad.
Over 2021 to 2022, MALS has continued to provide unique, specialised and targeted legal and human rights information, resources, training and other forms of direct support to a wide range of diverse, progressive social movements in Victoria.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) welcomes the class action against Victoria Police’s use of capsicum spray and excessive force against protesters at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne in October 2019.
The arrest of a legal observer in Sydney in June 2022 has highlighted the need to continually assert the rights of independent legal observers to monitor police without interference or obstruction.
The criminalisation of environmental protest in Australia isn’t new.
Melbourne Activist Legal Support is concerned about the increasing normalisation of the use of handcuffs on protesters and other people subject to arrest.
3.00pm Sunday, February 21, 2021 Inspired by the global call for action by the Indignados movement in Spain, the protests and revolutions across the Arab World and the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, Occupy Melbourne and Occupy Sydney was launched by many hundreds of activists in October 2011. Occupy sought to transform…
MALS understands that many people feel that the Chief Health Officer (CHO) directives such as mask-wearing, movement restrictions, business closures, and the current Stage 4 evening curfew represent unfair and unjustified infringements of their rights. For many people, these restrictions may be the first time they have experienced significant limitations upon their freedoms. For others, these restrictions may compound feelings of already being targeted by police. We understand that many people in Victoria are fearful and have concerns that these limitations on our basic freedoms might represent a growing authoritarianism. The use of the charge of ‘incitement’ against people organising or proposing any protest events as well as house raids and confiscations needs to be broadly condemned no matter where we stand.
Download a PDF copy of this 45 page report here. Media: Legal observers find police ‘set tone of violence’ at anti-mining protests. Benjamin Miller, The Age, December 7, 2019. Executive Summary The police tactics, approaches and the behaviour of individual police members during the IMARC protest events from Tuesday 29th to Thursday 31st October demonstrated…
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) fielded a team of Legal Observers at this morning’s protest events at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) that took place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Victoria. The protest involved activists chanting, singing, holding banners, speaking and linking arms at the entrance of the Conference…
In reply and in light of protest events planned in Melbourne for the month of October we take this opportunity to remind Victoria Police senior command and all operational commanders assigned to public order policing duties over the coming weeks, that ‘disruption to others’ does not justify limiting the Right to Peaceful Assembly.
Princess Bridge Blockade and dance protest event Saturday 14th September 2019, Melbourne, Australia Please Note: A response by Victoria Police to the Statement of Concern is included below. On Saturday 14th September 2019 Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) fielded a team of eight (8) trained Legal Observers at the ‘Princes Bridge Block & Dance’ protest…
On Saturday 26 January 2019 Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) fielded a team of ten (10) trained Legal Observers at the Invasion Day march that took place in Melbourne’s Central Business District. The march, which was organised by the group Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance, began with speakers at Victoria’s Parliament House on Spring Street, proceeded…
Victoria Police have revealed it’s armoury of new repressive weaponry.
MALS makes a further submission that “meaningful harm reduction” extends to include banning the use of drug detection dogs and strip searches at music and arts festivals.
On Saturday the 18th of July 2015 Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) fielded a team of eight (8) trained Legal Observers at the Reclaim Australia and counter rallies that took place near the intersection of Spring and Bourke Streets in Melbourne’s Central Business District. Legal Observers monitored the actions of Victoria Police and recorded evidence…
Statement of Concern: Policing of opposing anti-trans & trans rights rallies
Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) expresses concern regarding the failure of police to act compatibly with human rights and give proper consideration to human rights in tactical decisions whilst policing opposing rallies at Parliament House on Saturday, 18 March 2023.