Is the rule of law still fit for purpose?

There appears to be a tug of war between public expectation and the judiciary.

The rule of law is one of the foundational pillars of liberal democracy. At its core, it rests on the simple, powerful idea that no one is above the law. Not kings, not parliaments, not the wealthy or the well-connected. It was designed to protect the weak from the arbitrary exercise of power and to ensure that governments, however popular, remain bound by principles of fairness and reason.

Yet in contemporary Australia, we may ask whether this venerable concept is still serving the public interest, or whether it has been subtly repurposed to shield those who undermine the very society it was meant to sustain.

In the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes wrote:

Again and again, the public will is overturned by judicial activists, judges who imply all manner of esoteric things into interpreting the law and effectively placing themselves above the people’s elected representatives and His Majesty’s duly-constituted government. This is not the rule of law, but the law of rule. Michael de Percy turns his mind to the erosion of the rule of law, and the sovereignty of the people through parliament.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Is the rule of law still fit for purpose?

The public mood toward judges overriding executive and parliamentary efforts to protect community safety is one of genuine concern.

This includes disruptive protests or the release of foreign criminals onto the streets...

The deeper problem is not the rule of law itself, but… pic.twitter.com/cqArXZN1Hj

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 22, 2026

Albo government’s perfect storm of weakness

We do not need a government that hides the bacon at the back of the supermarket of policy.

Yet here we are, a resource-rich nation pleading with others while global supply chains buckle under the weight of conflict in the Middle East. The fuel crisis and the attendant energy price pain are not abstract. They are the lived experience of every Australian filling up at the bowser or watching power bills climb.

And they arrive as part of a perfect storm that reveals something deeper about the Albanese Labor government. A pattern of weakness that is now unmistakable.

Consider the converging crises. The fuel emergency is immediate and visceral, born of global events but exacerbated by years of domestic energy policy that left Australia exposed. The energy crisis has been simmering for longer. Policy choices that privileged ideology over baseload reliability, now colliding with external shock.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Albo government’s perfect storm of weakness.

Mr Albanese flies to Singapore, then Brunei and Malaysia, seeking guarantees for fuel and fertiliser in the same week ordinary Australians are being urged to ‘drive less’ via taxpayer-funded advertising campaigns. Indeed, 20 million dollars. Enough, already.

In Brunei, the Prime… pic.twitter.com/LmWwqogxIT

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 15, 2026

What did I miss? Australia’s political week in fast-forward

Chris Bowen's energy policy platform is a lot like a dead fish.

You have to feel a tad sorry for Energy Minister Chris Bowen. He had a tough week of bruising press conferences. Never mind, his leadership is unequivocal. That bold renewables target? Totally achievable, even if he doesn’t like mentioning it except under the duress of a hostile journalist. Bowen is probably checking his tyres on the way to another renewables announcement as we speak, making sure his EV fleet is topped up from the nearest solar panel before lecturing the rest of us about the urgency to transition away from reliable power.

My latest edition of What did I miss? Australia's political week in fast-forward in The Spectator Australia.

Anthony Albanese sulked, cap in hand, to Singapore.

Fossil fuel is better for the environment if someone else drills for it – or so goes the logic of the Labor Party which has been forced to walk its Renewable Empire election promise parallel to the most pro-carbon trade trip… pic.twitter.com/XxUnHJn2cT

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 12, 2026