ate last week, under the glass mosaic of Federation Square’s Deakin Edge, the Victoria Law Foundation hosted The Law and You: Perspectives on Voluntary Assisted Dying, the first in a series of community forums aimed at engaging the general public in a discussion of the ways in which the law can impact day-to-day life.The subject matter of the event was especially timely, as … [Read more...]
Anti-Terrorism Laws: Continuing Descent Down A Slippery Security Slope
How does a society balance the values of freedom and safety? And what role do political leaders have in maintaining that balance? If we take recent comments from our political leaders seriously, then they either don’t care about these questions, or consider themselves helplessly unable to resist the demands of the nation’s law enforcement agencies. Either reality is … [Read more...]
Legalising Euthanasia Explainer: Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill Hits Parliament Today
oday, voluntary assisted dying legislation is due to be introduced in both the Victorian and New South Wales parliaments and is set for a conscience vote by the end of the year.If passed, from mid-2019, the highly contentious legislation would allow those suffering from an advanced and incurable illness, disease or medical condition to seek a medically … [Read more...]
Fear, Law & Urban Legends: Revelations From The Slender Man Stabbing
lender Man is a horror monster. He stalks, he kills, he kidnaps children and drives people insane.In 2014, two 12-year-old girls were arrested in connection with a violent premeditated attack on a classmate. The victim had been stabbed 19 times with the knife, missing a major artery in her heart by a millimetre. When interviewed by detectives, both girls claimed that they … [Read more...]
Bucket Intell-O-gence: Everything You Need To Know About The Same-Sex Marriage Plebiscite
As the 45th Federal Parliament gets underway, the legalisation of same-sex marriage is one of the issues dominating headlines.It is hard to know how the matter will play out, but there is one option that was first raised by the Abbott government - and that is to hold a plebiscite. This option is being pushed by the Turnbull government, and it has attracted a lot of … [Read more...]
#LongReads: A Need For Post-Election Reform Of How Australia Manages Asylum Seekers
he recent leak of the ‘Nauru Files’ underscores what has been clear for years now: our government’s treatment of people seeking refugee protection inflicts serious harm on children and adults who have done nothing to deserve it.This regime, now collectively organised under the militarised ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’, involves a number of strategies designed to deter … [Read more...]