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Legal Affairs

A Constitution shaped by distance

Australia is a big country, and a continent remote from the rest of the world. But what role has this distance, both internal and external, played in Australia’s constitutional development?

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Legal Affairs

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

  1. 17 May 2018 – Constitution, Democracy, Election Watch, Elections, Malaysia

    Malaysia’s remarkable election outcome

    Malaysia's election results surprised many; University of Melbourne experts examine the unexpected outcome through a lens of constitutional rights and the law.

  2. 6 May 2018 – Advertising, Consumer Protection, Data, Facebook, Law

    They’re using my face

    The Cambridge Analytica saga highlights the problem of misleading conduct: University of Melbourne experts say profit stripping offenders may protect consumers.

  3. Podcast24 April 2018 – Environment, Law, Legal System, Nature, Preservation

    The legal rights of rivers

    In this episode of the University of Melbourne's Eavesdrop on Experts podcast, environmental law expert Erin O'Donnell explains the legal rights of rivers.

  4. 22 April 2018 – Children, Circumcision, Ethics, Law, Surgery

    Iceland’s proposed circumcision ban

    Iceland could become the first European country to ban male circumcision; University of Melbourne experts look at the ethical and legal issues at stake.

  5. 16 April 2018 – Chemical Weapons, International Law, Syria, United Nations, Wars

    Does it matter that strikes against Syria violate international law?

    The air strikes in Syria by the US, UK and France violate the UN Charter and international law; a University of Melbourne expert looks at what's at stake.

  6. 8 April 2018 – Big Data, Corporate Regulation, Data, Law, Privacy

    Data security in the spotlight

    The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme will help keep our data safer, say University of Melbourne legal experts, but it could go further, like schemes overseas do.

  7. 27 March 2018 – Cricket, Integrity, Sports, Sports Corruption, Sports Law

    Banning cricket cheats: How long is long enough?

    Cricket Australia is treating the latest ball tampering scandal as a serious breach of integrity, says a University of Melbourne expert.

  8. 26 March 2018 – Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Auto Industry, Collusion, Competition Law, Price Fixing

    Why are corporate penalties for cartels so low in Australia?

    An OECD report and University of Melbourne research confirms Australian fines for companies that break competition law are much lower than in other countries.

  9. 20 March 2018 – Human rights, International law, Refugees, Statelessness, United Nations

    No country, no rights, no hope

    Millions of people worldwide are stateless, leaving them vulnerable to human rights abuses. The issue needs more attention, say University of Melbourne experts.