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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: April 10, 2009
Aggy Kapitaniak
WHAT happens if an official does get it wrong? You have two injustices: the wrong and then the black mark against your name to remind you that you were wronged. A criminal conviction can have dire consequences on a person’s life. The law allows the court a discretion in relation to... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: April 10, 2009
Georgia King-Siem
THE ‘Australia’s Rights to Know’ conference in Sydney on 24 March was essentially a conference by the media, for the media. Its focus was freedom of information (FOI) reform and protection of whistleblowers. Most of the conference participants were either journalists or lawyers... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Michael Pearce SC
LIBERTY Victoria, like many civil liberties and human rights organisations, has endured a decade or more of non-stop action: we have spent much of the last 10 years reeling from sustained and escalating attacks on rights and liberties. However, the change in the Federal Government... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Georgia King-Siem
AS MOST readers would be aware, Dr Mohamed Haneef was arrested, detained, charged and prosecuted by the Australian government in connection with terrorist bombings in the UK. At the time, the Australian government was strongly criticised for its handling of the matter.
Some... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Spencer Zifcak
LATE last year, the Rudd Government made good on its promise to establish a national consultation on human rights. The purpose of the consultation is to make recommendations to the Federal Government and Parliament about how Australians’ human rights might best be protected.
A... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Anne O'Rourke
HISTORY was made in Victoria on 22 October 2008 when, after a long and often acrimonious debate, the Abortion Law Reform Bill became law with convincing votes in both houses of parliament. The Abortion Law Reform Act 2008 (Vic) decriminalises abortion up to 24 weeks. Put simply, this... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Rachel Ball
IT'S a busy time for Australia in the international human rights arena. In the coming months our performance under the two main human rights treaties will be reviewed by UN treaty bodies. The Rudd Government has also recently prepared reports on the implementation of treaties dealing... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Georgia King-Siem
IN AUGUST 2008, the Attorney-General announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) would undertake a review of Australia’s secrecy laws. In particular, the ALRC will look at the scope and appropriateness of the current laws, their consistency and application to other... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 17, 2009
Michael Pearce SC, 14 February 2007
The Government's 'access card' will be an identity card in all but name.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you can be pretty sure it is a duck. Parliament can pass a law to say it is not a duck and can even seek to impose... Read more
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Liberty Victoria Updates
Post date: February 4, 2009
21 November 2008
A COALITION of lawyers, academics and community organisations has today called upon the Attorney-General to publicly release the report of the Clarke Inquiry into the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef.
Marika Dias, Community Legal Centre Lawyer and Convenor of the Anti-Terrorism Laws... Read more
