Commentary The responses of the Australian government to the COVID-19 pandemic had an overwhelming impact on the enjoyment of fundamental legal rights in this country. However, such disdain for fundamental rights does not come as a surprise to those who know how our Westminster System is presently applied in Australia. Since there is no proper…

Commentary The composition of the 47th Australian parliament has its fair share of new members who have been making their maiden speeches. While the gaggle of “teal” Members of Parliament and their fellow travellers in the Greens have received plenty of attention, there were two maiden speeches given last week that deserve not just attention…

The Labor government could have trouble fulfilling its domestic agenda after crossbench MPs threatened to block all government legislation in the Senate after cuts were made to staffing entitlements. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese informed crossbench MPs and senators on June 24 that they would only be allowed to hire one parliamentary staffer (a senior adviser)…

Commentary Australia’s recent developments makes one deeply sceptical as to the current political system’s ability to promote accountability. Moreover, one wonders how much accountability is in evidence now that a former “Vaccine Commander” and a former “Chief Health Adviser” are appointed the governors of Western Australia and Queensland, respectively. It is no wonder why so…

Lawyers for the man accused of sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins will seek a permanent stay to criminal proceedings and a takedown order for media articles reporting on the case. Bruce Lehrmann, 26, has been charged with allegedly raping former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in the office of the former defence industry minister, Linda Reynolds. He…

In the second Religious Discrimination Bill meeting on Jan. 13, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli stated that he would not put forward any amendments and expressed that this act will finally protect all different groups of discrimination following disability, LGBTIQ and aged groups. At the meeting, Comensoli expressed that religious schools should be allowed the right…

Commentary “Like Fresh Meat: Detailing Rampant Sex Harassment in Australia’s Parliament.” This was the lurid headline in the New York Times this week, describing a report into harassment and bullying in Australia’s parliament. “A sweeping report lays out a cloistered, alcohol-fuelled environment where powerful men violated boundaries unchecked,” claimed the Times. Typical biased NYT reporting….

Minor parties are upset over proposed electoral changes that could restrict the involvement of small or fringe political parties in upcoming federal elections. Last week, Ben Morton, the assistant minister for electoral matters, introduced four Bills to Parliament aimed at reforming the electoral process. One of the new Bills would see the requirement for membership…

Federal ministers have returned to Canberra after the winter break to sit in Parliament for four of the next five weeks, and the Senate leader is assuring Australians of the strict COVID-19 safety measures in place. Simon Birmingham said “very extensive” safeguards proportionate to the risk of the Delta variant have been implemented for parliament….

Australia’s leading cybersecurity body is investigating a major disruption that saw Parliament’s email network shut down. It comes after media conglomerate Nine Network confirmed it was targeted in a cyberattack over the weekend. Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie said the issue was linked to an external service provider to the Department of Parliamentary Services’ (DPS)…