Aboriginal Justice: An Interview With Inside Out’s Keenan Mundine
Aboriginal Justice campaigner Keenan Mundine recently addressed the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. He called on the leading human rights body to demand that the Turnbull government raises the age of criminal responsibility in this country. Currently, Australian...
The Bias in the Native Title System: An Interview with Barrister Tony McAvoy SC
Recent comments made by native title barrister Tony McAvoy SC regarding flaws in the native title system have caused quite a stir. As reported in the Guardian, the lawyer said that the system “embeds racism,” and contravenes the UN Declaration...
Rather His Own Man: An Interview with Geoffrey Robertson QC
Human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson has had an illustrious career. The Australian-born lawyer has been a tireless defender of civil rights, with a particular focus on protecting freedom of speech and expression. In 1989, he successfully defended author Salman Rushdie against...
A Wellness Guide for Lawyers: An Interview with Author Jerome Doraisamy
The 2007 Beaton Consulting and beyondblue national depression initiative revealed depression amongst legal professionals had reached alarming levels. When compared with other professionals, lawyers were found to have experienced the highest levels of depressive symptoms. Indeed, studies have found that one...
Indigenous Child Removals Linked to Incarceration: An Interview With GMAR’s Helen Eason
During a recent NT Estimates Committee hearing, it was revealed that 100 percent of children being held in youth detention in the Territory are Aboriginal. This figure is even more staggering when you consider that First Nations peoples account for...
Crimes Against Humanity: An Interview with Human Rights Lawyer Julian Burnside
The Norwegian freighter MV Tampa entered Australian waters on 29 August 2001, carrying 433 asylum seekers who’d been stranded on a fishing boat in the Indian Ocean. The vessel crossed the maritime boundary close to Christmas Island, despite having been refused...
Diminishing Rights: An Interview With the Muslim Legal Network’s Zaahir Edries
US District Judge Denise Casper recently found that the US Department of Homeland Security’s policy of searching electronic devices at the international border without a warrant could be in breach of the fourth amendment. The Massachusetts federal judge ruled in March...
Challenging Abuse of Police Powers: An Interview With Greens MLC David Shoebridge
The NSW police use of drug detections dog in public places without a warrant has been widely discredited in the public eye. The damning NSW Ombudsman report into the program was released as far back as 2006. NSW Greens MLC David Shoebridge...
Punishing Asylum Seekers: An Interview With Refugee Action Coalition’s Ian Rintoul
Australia ratified the UN Refugee Convention in 1954. But, despite the country having formally agreed to the terms outlined in the international agreement that protects refugees, the Turnbull government continues to deny people seeking asylum the basic rights the document...
The Rights of Vulnerable Children: An Interview with Walking Warriors Australia
William Tyrell disappeared on the morning of 12 September 2014. When he vanished, the then 3-year-old boy was dressed in a Spiderman suit and had been playing with his older sister in the front yard of a house in the...
