As the Actor represents Everyman, so Paul Hogan represents us all over the bureaucratic inequities of oppressive legality and secrecy laws in Australia. He is now locked in the debtor's prison the nation is becoming, reverting to its penal role two centuries ago.

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CLA works with advanced and honours students on topics of mutual interest, where the student gains credits for 'internship' programs or honours studies, and CLA benefits from excellent research papers which help to shape a current or future dilemma. See if one of these research ideas interests you.

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Editor, West Australian: I respond to your report 'Frustrated DPP sees flaws in quality of police probe' 29 June 2010, p7.

I have read Coroner Alastair Hope's report on Aborigine elder Mr Ward's death in custody, in the back of a prison transfer van, which includes his recommendations. In the report the coroner found that every level of authority from the Minister for Corrective Services Margaret Quirk, right down to the two drivers, in the coroner's words "failed in their duty of care".

It's important for the public to appreciate that, unfortunately, the police investigation of the matter did upset the coroner: that is, the two drivers were not kept separate before being interviewed...but that's only one of a number of aspects the coroner was concerned about.

Around Australia, drug testing of drivers takes places with no proven benefit to society and great penalty to people's civil liberties. In WA, the accuracy of the tests is declining, research in SA shows (see CLArion newsletter July 2010). Here, Bill Bush outlines why the ACT should not introduce such an uncertain, inequitable form of driver testing.
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The first Australian Government and Non-Government Organisations Forum on Human Rights in late June 2010 produced mixed results, according to CLA President, Dr Kristine Klugman. She raised questions about making all Australian laws compatible with human rights, and the UN demand, under the ICCPR, that Australia trains its public officials, police and others in human rights.

Internet Service Providers may soon have to retain subscriber's private web browsing history for the government to secretly examine, according to news reports. Industry insiders and bloggers are up in arms. Read Article »...

Do the 'bikie laws' breach rights?

What does CLA think of the SA legislation - the 'bikie laws' - now being considered, on appeal, by the High Court. Does the Act breach an individual's human rights, we were asked by a student?

Police should not investigate police deaths in custody, CLA's Keith McEwan says. There needs to be an independent body set up for such cases - justice demands no less, he says.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has the opportunity to resolve an overwhelming injustice by acting on the Bryce case, where a man who could not be jailed elsewhere in Australia languishes in a Queensland jail on a federal charge. The time to act is now, Mr Attorney, CLA says.

The burqa debate involves complex questions of individual and group rights, Dr Chris Michaelsen told the Australian Federation of Muslim Councils conference in Sydney in May 2010, speaking on behalf of CLA. But in Australia, there's no national human rights framework against which to measure such important issues, he said

Australians have been denied the opportunity to restrict the power of the political elite by the Rudd Government's failure to enact a national Bill of Rights, CLA says. Federal MPs who believe in individual rights should coalesce across political boundaries to ensure the Australian Parliament gets the opportunity to consider this important issue.

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The area of 'racial vilification' is fraught with making decisions on difficult nuances of free speech and individual and group rights. What's important, Briant Tennant says, is that those responsible for anti-discrimination laws should not themselves discriminate against people.

A former SAS soldier, the newest member of the WA Parliament, delivered a telling commentary on the erosion of civil liberties in Australia when he gave his maiden speech in March. "...a speech capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up," said ABC reporter, Claire Krol.

SA Premier Michael Rann, up for re-election in March 2010, is proposing that a defendant's personal history should be revealed to juries - before they decide guilt or innocence - so as to send more people to prison. CLA and the SACCL, plus most other knowledgeable legal observers, think Mr Rann is confusing conviction with justice.

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Victoria is one of the more enlightened states in looking after Indigenous people...but still the statistics are appalling, as this analysis by Keith McEwan points out. "Life is not so good for an Indigenous person living in Victoria...or, for that matter, anywhere in Australia."