There’s an upsurge of community concern in Perth about how police are using their new stop-and-search powers (which are largely mirrored throughout Australia). WA Premier Colin Barnett has promised to review the powers, so CLA issued a supportive stateme…
CLA has long argued the need for national legislation so Australians can find out what their DNA tells them without suffering penalties under insurance and superannuation rules. Cheaper DNA testing, sometimes sponsored by insurance companies, is bringin…
Michael Atkinson, the South Australian Attorney General noted for quaint ways, is at it again: a new law means you must attach your name/details to any letter or blog comment once the March 2010 SA election is formally called, which is expected imminentl…
The world’s biggest maker of stun guns, Taser, has done a backflip and is now warning police forces to not aim the weapons at people’s chests. The company appears to be trying to make sure it can’t be sued if people die in future after being stunned by t…
DNA requires debate, legislationNew uses for DNA information are permeating Australia without debate about how we want to regulate either a useful guide to health or a tool to discrimate against people who – by accident of birth – are slightly different from whatever ‘average’ is.…
Abortion is a difficult societal issue where health concerns are paramount. Women should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. Laws around the issue of abortion should be based on health grounds, not criminal penalties.Abortion is a…
A joint media release, signed by numerous liberties/freedoms bodies, has launched an escalation of the campaign to stop Communications Minister Stephen Conroy imposing censorship on adult Australians. Keep an eye out for TV ads on the same subject.Jo…
Investigatory bodies acting for society – from community inquests through civil inquiries to national commissions – should involve panels, act in a coordinated way, and share resources, building a reservoir of intelligence and expertise over time, CLA sa…
If the Rudd Government is to change the pension age from 65 to 67, it should also review other critical age limits, CLA’s Raffaele Piccolo says. In particular, the voting age should drop to 17 (from 18) for today’s better educated, better informed and be…
Naming guilty drink drivers in the media or online is just an extension of Australia’s system of open and transparent legal processes, CLA says. Drink-drive convictions are increasing as police change from ‘random’ breath testing to targeted testing clos…