The DLS Portal will be offline for maintenance and upgrades from 6.00pm (AEST) Friday, 12 September 2025 to 8.00am (AEST) Monday, 15 September 2025.
Case information
Catchwords
Constitutional law (Cth) – Implied freedom of political communication – Federal legislative power with respect to federal elections – Implied doctrine of intergovernmental immunities – State immunity from Commonwealth laws – Operation of s 109 of Constitution (Cth) – Where Local Government Electoral (Implementing Stage 1 of Belcarra) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2018 (Qld)purports to prohibit making of political donations by property developers – Whether s 275 of the Electoral Act 1992 (Qld) and s 113B of the Local Government Electoral Act 2011 (Qld) are invalid to the extent that they touch or concern federal elections – Whether inconsistent with s 302CA of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) – Whether s 302CA is beyond the Commonwealth’s legislative power – Whether s 302CA infringes the implied intergovernmental immunity of States from Commonwealth laws – Whether s 302CA is invalid because it seeks to retrospectively override the operation of s 109 of the Constitution – Whether Subdiv 4 of Div 8 of Pt 11 of the Electoral Act 1992 (Qld) infringes the implied freedom of political communication.
Documents
06/07/2018 Writ of summons
18/07/2018 Notice of constitutional matter (Plaintiff)
20/11/2018 Hearing (Single Justice, Sydney v/link Brisbane and Melbourne)
05/12/2018 Hearing (Single Justice, Canberra)
19/12/2018 Notice of constitutional matter (Defendant)
21/12/2018 Hearing (Single Justice, Sydney v/link Brisbane)
15/01/2019 Notice of constitutional matter (Attorney-General of the Commonwealth Intervening)
29/01/2019 Written submissions (Plaintiff)
06/02/2019 Written Submissions (Attorney-General of the Commonwealth intervening)
20/02/2019 Written submissions (Defendant)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the State of New South Wales intervening)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the Australian Capital Territory intervening)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the State of Victoria intervening)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the State of Western Australia intervening)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the State of South Australia intervening)
25/02/2019 Written submissions (Attorney-General for the State of Tasmania intervening)
01/03/2019 Reply submissions (Attorney-General of the Commonwealth intervening)
01/03/2019 Reply (Plaintiff)
06/03/2019 Reply (Defendant)
12/03/2019 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra) (Audio-visual recording)
12/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Plaintiff)
13/03/2019 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra) (Audio-visual recording)
13/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General of the Commonwealth intervening)
14/03/2019 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra) (Audio-visual recording)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Defendant)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for New South Wales intervening)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for the Australian Capital Territory intervening)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for Tasmania intervening)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for South Australia intervening)
14/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for Victoria intervening)
15/03/2019 Outline of oral argument (Attorney-General for Western Australia intervening)
15/03/2019 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra) (Audio-visual recording)
28/03/2019 Note on Severance (Attorney-General of the Commonwealth intervening)
05/04/2019 Note on Severance (Attorney-General for the State of Victoria intervening)
05/04/2019 Note on Severance (Defendant)
05/04/2019 Note on Severance (Attorney-General for the State of South Australia intervening)
05/04/2019 Note on Severance (Attorney-General for the State of Western Australia intervening)
05/04/2019 Note on Severance (Attorney-General for the State of Tasmania intervening)
17/04/2019 Pronouncement of Orders (Full Court, Canberra)
15/05/2019 Reasons for Judgment (Judgment summary)