While Bennett claimed to represent the VCCL, but in the same year formed a new body, the Australian Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and became known for being one of the leading Holocaust deniers in Australia.
[3] The council had held two fund-raising dinners in 1983 and 1984, to pay off debts incurred by legal action and to attract new members, and became an incorporated body in 1984.
[3] Liberty Victoria has always been supported by the Victorian Bar,[3] and the position of president has often been held by retired Federal Court of Australia judges and lawyers, who have included Julian Burnside, Chris Maxwell and Ron Merkel.
The awards are named after the 18th century French writer and philosopher known as Voltaire, known for advocating freedom of speech and civil liberties.
[7] The choice of recipients has attracted criticism from radio presenter Neil Mitchell,[8] Morgan Begg of the Institute of Public Affairs,[9] and an opinion piece in The Australian.
[15][16] It also objected after Facebook briefly included a number of philanthropic organisations in its sweeping ban of Australian-based publishers, in response to the Morrison government's proposed media bargaining laws in February 2021.