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The wearing of bike helmets and car seat belts engages the classic liberty v public good argument. Bill Curnow, a CLA member, gives his opinion that there has been little evidence-based analysis of the public good. It's time for some independent and open inquiries, he says.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard made an outstanding statement recently, setting a clear test for Australia's counter-terrorism measures: they must not change Australians' lives or lifestyle, or lessen our freedom and democracy. CLA's Australia Day letter 2012 asks her to back up her own words, and establish an inquiry to evaluate the positive and negative impacts anti-terror measures have had on Australia and Australians since 9 September 2011.
The anomalous situation of the Family Court in WA, and the need for better resourcing of family courts everywhere, are poignantly highlighted after the tragic deaths of a mother and her two children from a family caught in a long-running dispute. Peter Dowding explains the court's problems...
Mark Summerfield, a patent attorney, analyses the current UK alleged piracy/copyright extradition case with major international ramifications. As well, there's links to the NYT coverage of proposed new US laws which are even more draconian, and to an SMH story of the real-life experience of an Australian extradited and jailed in the US for a similar 'offence'.
It's not often you get a chance to profoundly make the nation a better place, but new Homes and Homelessness Minister Robert McClelland has just such an opportunity. He needs to gather disparate policies across portfolios and stop them pulling in different directions to the detriment of Australia's downtrodden.
People found innocent in court are fully exonerated, and should be treated that way, CLA's Rex Widerstrom says. With the hideous offence of sexual assault of children, it is better to focus more resources on programs to prevent the crime rather than to concentrate on police task force investigation after the event, he says.
Just like any other government initiative, law and order measures – such as extra police, tougher penalties, etc – should be evaluated for cost-benefit success or cost-effectiveness by an independent agency, says crime bureau chief Don Weatherburn. And he says, we need a better informed public and more rigorous scrutiny by the media.
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