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Early this month the federal government committed to conducting a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disabilities. The commitment came after many years of campaigning by disability advocates for such an inquiry to take place and after serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation in the…

On 11 April 2019, the Federal Court of Australia handed down its decision in the matter of Rush v Nationwide News Pty Ltd. The court found that publications made by the defendant about Australian actor Geoffrey Rush contained defamatory imputations and that the defence of justification did not succeed. It awarded  Rush damages for non-economic…

The Prime Minister has vowed to introduce tough new penalties for vegan activists if he is re-elected in May. The Melbourne CBD was shut down last week by a peaceful protest against the use and abuse of animals in factory farms. The protest was part of a national day of action, when protesters also targeted…

Tasmania this week became the first Australian jurisdiction to make the listing of babies’ apparent sex on birth certificates optional. The Tasmanian Senate this week passed the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendment) Bill, despite the opposition of the Liberal government. Under the new legislation, Tasmanians aged over 16 will also be able to change…

The High Court today handed down its decision in respect of two anti-abortion activists who challenged the constitutionality of laws restricting behaviour within safe access zones in Victoria and Tasmania. Kathleen Clubb of Melbourne and Graham Preston of Hobart, challenged fines they received for protesting within the no protest zones around medical clinics offering abortion…

On 13 March 2019 the High Court handed down its decision in a native title compensation matter where it considered the entitlements of the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples to compensation for the extinguishment of their native title rights and interests. The decision marks the first time the High Court has considered a native title compensation…

Today primary and secondary school students around the world walked out of school to demand action on climate change. Inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old who organised the first student strike over climate change in August 2018, the students striking in Australia made three specific demands to the Morrison government: Stop the Adani…

Cardinal George Pell was  sentenced today by the Victorian County Court for historical child sex offences. He received a total effective sentence of six years imprisonment with a non-parole period of three years and eight months. The offences occurred in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in 1996 and 1997 and the victims were two 13-year-old…

In the last five years, around 1500 New Zealand citizens have been deported from Australia after committing criminal offences in Australia. The number of deportations of NZ citizens increased sharply after the Migration Act was amended in 2014, giving the minister broader powers to cancel visas and amending the character test.  Many of those deported…

Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day that has been used to celebrate the achievements of women since 1910. International Women’s Day was first marked in Australia in Sydney in 1928 and had spread to all capital citied by 1931. Today, IWD is a day to reflect on the progress that has been made…

The man who drove a stolen car through Bourke Street mall, killing six people and seriously injuring 27 in 2017, was sentenced by the Victorian Supreme Court on 22 February 2019. Justice Weinberg called it one of the ‘worst examples of mass murder’ in Australia’s history and ordered James Gargasoulas to serve six concurrent life…

On 14 February 2019, the Industrial Chemical Charges Bill 2017 passed the Senate. The bill will limit the circumstances in which cosmetics that have been tested on animals can be placed on the Australian market. Australia has been slow to legislate against the use of cosmetic animal testing. The UK passed legislation in 1998 and…

On 3 December 2018 Dr Kerryn Phelps MP introduced the Migration Amendment ( Urgent Medical Treatment ) Bill to parliament. The legislation, if passed, will require the temporary transfer of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia if they are assessed by two or more doctors as needing medical treatment. The legislation will…

The Victorian Premier has announced the state will be passing legislation to outlaw the controversial practice of gay conversion therapy. The Health Complaints Commissioner, which commenced an inquiry into the practice last year, found overwhelming evidence that the therapy does long-term damage to people who receive it. The inquiry into gay conversion therapy On 15…

On 26 January, Australia will celebrate Australia Day. The date on which Australia Day is celebrated has been the subject of increasing controversy, with many people feeling that the chosen date is offensive to Aboriginal people and divides, rather than unifies, the community. 26 January has been a national public holiday since 1994. What happened…

On 16 January 2019, the NT Coroner handed down his findings in the inquest into the death of Australian Defence Force soldier Jason Roger Challis while taking part in a live firing exercise near Darwin. The 25-year-old died after being shot in the head by his fellow soldiers after taking up an incorrect position behind…

A Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) decision late last year has called into question the state’s laws prohibiting firearm silencers. The decision considered the Queensland Police’s refusal to grant a farmer’s request to possess a silencer in order to more safely use his firearms to control invasive species on his property. The health benefits…

The Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton has come under fire after it has come to light that 27-year-old Neil Prakash, who was stripped of his Australian citizenship last month, does not, in fact, have Fijian citizenship. Contrary to the Minister’s assertion that Prakash is a dual national, the Fijian government has today denied that…

The National Transport Commission (NTC) is currently reviewing how the Australian Road Rules deal with driver distraction. The current rules relating to driver distraction were developed in 1999 when mobile phones were mainly used for calls and text messages and in-vehicle technology was limited to television screens. The review will consider the variety of ways…

As more and more information is stored digitally, a number of cases have come before the courts where a party has argued that a digital document has a testamentary intention and should be treated as a digital will. Traditionally, a will is required to have been executed in accordance with the formalities provided for in…