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law & crime
immigration December 2, 2023
The case against mandatory detention
In November, the High Court ruled the government could not indefinitely detain a non-citizen if there was no real prospect of removal from Australia becoming practicable in the reasonably foreseeable future. The court’s full reasons, delivered this...
law & crime August 26, 2023
What would we not know were it but for brave whistleblowers speaking up? And what do we not know right now because the cost of courage in Australia is too high? These are the questions that keep me awake at night, and they are the reasons the Human...
indigenous affairs August 5, 2023
Morrison’s strong welfare cop-out
For a while, late on Monday afternoon in the house of representatives, you could be forgiven for thinking the Peter Dutton-led opposition had finally cast itself adrift from Scott Morrison. As the former prime minister rose, on indulgence from the...
law & crime July 29, 2023
Why we need a Home Affairs royal commission
Defeating the imperial overlords’ quest for the Ashes via a rain-soaked draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford was the signal political event for many Australians this week. Never have so many eyes been glued so tightly for so long to an overseas...
law & crime July 15, 2023
The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme has identified appalling dishonesty and lapses in government processes that had serious consequences for the innocent, and their families, who were hounded for non-payment of fictitious “debts”. The...
law & crime July 8, 2023
There’s a new party game in Canberra, sparked by the arrival of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The game has a simple enough name: Who’s for the NACCery? Politicians are falling over themselves to leverage maximum political advantage with...
indigenous affairs July 1, 2023
Tensions focus on Fadden byelection
The byelection in Stuart Robert’s old seat of Fadden is becoming a proxy battleground for the fortunes not only of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton but also for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. At stake is the sort of leadership on key challenges...
law & crime June 17, 2023
In less than two weeks the new National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will be officially in operation – the long-awaited answer to a defining issue of the last federal election. The need for an integrity watchdog became pressing given the...
law & crime June 17, 2023
‘Beware the man with nothing to lose’
When justice and politics collide, politics usually prevails. So it is in the case of Brittany Higgins versus Bruce Lehrmann.
law & crime June 3, 2023
Ben Roberts-Smith is a war criminal
For the days and weeks leading up to the judgement, the nerves of the parties, their lawyers, the media in general and the court itself were seriously fraying. It was arranged for Justice Anthony Besanko to read a summary of his judgement to the...
law & crime May 13, 2023
Failing our duty of care in youth detention
The children who live at the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct in Melbourne are in state care. In a way, we are all their parents – we have a duty of care to them. It is our voting power, our voices, our interest and our considerations that determine...
