Legal Affairs

Informative commentary on legal issues and advances in Victorian, Federal and international law.

18 July 2017 – Australian Politics, Constitution, Human rights, Law, United States
Should Australia have a Bill of Rights?
Some argue Australia's legal system needs better human rights protections; a University of Melbourne expert says we can learn from the US Bill of Rights.
Podcast16 June 2017 – Environment, India, Indigenous, Law, New Zealand
Rivers as persons
Environmental law researchers Erin O’Donnell and Julia Talbot-Jones discuss recent moves to give legal personhood to rivers in India, New Zealand and elsewhere.
6 June 2017 – International law, Refugees, Statelessness, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Nowhere people have a right to somewhere
The University of Melbourne's law school is to host a new research centre devoted to ending statelessness, backed by philanthropists Peter and Ruth McMullin
2 June 2017 – Australian Indigenous History, High Court, Indigenous, Indigenous Land Management, Law
Marking Mabo: How has Native Title changed since the landmark ruling?
25 years on from the milestone Mabo ruling in Australia's High Court, University of Melbourne experts reflect on native title, and its legal standing.
18 May 2017 – Australian Indigenous History, Constitution
Q&A: Recognising Australia’s first peoples ... properly
Australia's debate on how to Constitutionally recognise its first peoples is culminating. University of Melbourne's Professor Adrienne Stone talks us through it
16 May 2017 – Consumer Law, Consumer Protection, E-commerce, Online Shopping
Putting the “E” into e-consumer protection
Online consumer protections haven’t kept pace with e-commerce technology; University of Melbourne research finds new technologies could provide new safeguards.
15 May 2017 – Criminal Law, Law, Lawyers, Privacy, State crime
Keeping up with the droneses: How criminal laws deal with new technology
New technologies like drones pose a challenge for criminal law; a University of Melbourne expert explains the Law must keep pace with society's shifting values.
14 May 2017 – Digital, Education, Future, Law, Lawyers
Digital disruption and the Law
The legal profession is experiencing digital disruption. Dean of the University of Melbourne Law School, Carolyn Evans, argues legal education must adapt too.
26 April 2017 – Brexit, Britain, Election Watch, Elections, Theresa May
Q&A: The UK election and the Brexit big picture
As British PM Theresa May announces a snap UK election to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks, the University of Melbourne puts the key questions to an expert.