Done By Law

Working with Children’s Check - 14 May 2013

Increasingly Working with Children Checks are being required for jobs where people do not work directly with children but who may work in close proximity to children, such as cleaners or gardeners. Amendments took effect in December of last year, which raise the bar even higher for people who have a criminal record. Listeners might be asking themselves, in what circumstances could my right to work be restricted by Victoria’s Working With Children Act 2005?

On the show tonight to discuss the Act and explain the recent changes is Damian Stock, a Senior Lawyer in the Social Inclusion program at Victoria Legal Aid.

Challenging Injustice: A Talk by Bryan Stevenson

With thanks to the University of Melbourne, we broadcast a talk by Professor Bryan Stevenson about the American experience of injustice and parallels that can be drawn in Australia. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Professor Stevenson graced the TED talk stage earlier this year to receive a standing ovation for his insights into the experiences of the poor and marginalised within the American criminal justice system. His public lecture at Melbourne University Law School last month booked out but we were fortunate enough to gain permission to broadcast a recording. We highly recommend viewing the full video from the University of Melbourne website of what was a truly inspiring lecture for anyone interested in justice, equality and holding onto hope in the law as a means of achieiving a more just and equal society.

Young people out of prisons!

The issues surrounding young people being placed in adult prisons raises a raft of human rights and legal issues. Tonight we talk to Chantelle Higgs from the Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People (CHRIP) about these issues and their advocacy for the decarceration of young people.  

“Law Sauce”- legal resource for the community: 19 March 2013

The law is difficult to navigate- new laws crop up all the time, and it’s hard to work out what’s current, relevant or even what laws exist in Australia and beyond.  However, a new application for smartphones has been created to make the law more accessible so that more people can find what’s relevant.

Tonight on Done By Law, we speak with Natalia Wieland, from the University of Melbourne who is the co-creator of a new smartphone application called “Law Sauce”.

We are also joined by the beautiful trio “the Jam Tarts” who sing live in the studio.

Indefinite detention without conviction - 12 March 2013

Tonight on Done By Law we discuss the disturbing practice of Aboriginal Australians with cognitive impairments being held indefinitely in prisons despite not having been convicted of any crime. Concerned advocates have instigated complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and a High Court challenge to the constitutional validity of the State effectively punishing these people without due process. Patrick McGee, Coordinator of the Aboriginal Disability Justice Campaign joins us on the show to discuss why Aboriginal people with cognitive impairments are being warehoused in jails and the steps that the Campaign is taking to try to reverse the trend.

Women’s Reproductive Rights, Discrimination and CEDAW - 12 February 2013

On this week’s show we speak with Dr Ronli Sifris, a lecturer at Monash University, about recent decisions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Dr Sifris discusses when restrictions on a woman’s reproductive fredom, specifically restrictions on abortion and involuntary sterilisation, constitute discrimination against women.

DISCRIMINATION LAW REFORM: WHERE TO FROM HERE?

With the consultation phase for the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012 now drawing to a close, how could an overhaul of federal discrimination laws change things for the better? We talk with Rachel Ball from the Human Rights Law Centre on how the proposed changes could improve access to justice for complainants. But will this be a missed opportunity for Australia to update and expand its discrimination laws to protect more people from unfair treatment?

PEOPLE SMUGGLERS GOING HOME

The Indonesia people smugglers, recently processed through the Victorian Courts, are (mostly) heading home. We speak to Sarah Westwood of the Commonwealth Crime Team of Victoria Legal Aid about the mammoth effort in Victoria to defend poor Indonesian fisherman charged with people smuggling for crewing boats to Australia filled with asylum seekers. Sarah reflects not only on their stories and process through an unfamiliar legal system but also on some lessons for good legal practice- how to coordinate a strong cohesive defence response to a challenge that was new to our jurisdiction.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: ROOMING HOUSES IN VICTORIA

With housing affordability reaching crisis point, many Victorians have little choice but to live in rooming house accommodation. But what are conditions like in the growing number of rooming houses around Melbourne and what happens when rooming house operators take advantage of vulnerable residents? Rooming house resident Walter Hernandez and Mike Williams from the Tenants Union join Done By Law to explain why Victoria should introduce a licensing system for rooming house operators.

Consumer Debt - Denis Nelthorpe chats about debt problems

A recent Australian Bureau of Statistics study found that 70% of Australian Households have credit card debt. For many members of our community the burden of debt they can’t repay forces them to turn to short term, high interest loans, creating a downward spiral of debt. Many people aren’t aware of the services available to help them sort out their debt problems, or of the limits the law places on the power of service providers and debt collectors.

Tonight we’re joined by Denis Nelthorpe, a lawyer who has been fighting tirelessly for disadvantaged members of our community his entire legal career. He’s the Executive Director of the Footscray Community Legal Service and Wyndham Community Legal Centre and a Board Member of the Financial Ombudsman Scheme. One of his recent innovative projects is the National Bulk Debt Project which he has kindly agreed to talk to us about tonight.