Done By Law

DBL: International students under attack: 9 February 2010

You might be mistaken for thinking that the recent Victorian government announcement of a new Minister for the Respect Agenda is a Monty Pythonesque farce – but no! On the 20th of January, Premier Brumby announced that Justin Madden would be the inaugural Minister for Respect, stepping into this role to address social issues such as alcohol related violence and racial tolerance.

This comes at a time where the Victorian government is under intense international scrutiny regarding the spate of attacks on Indian students in Victoria. Only last week, Brumby was on the defensive once again after the Indian high commissioner Sujatha Singh accused his government of not doing enough to address attacks on Indian students.

As a result of mounting pressure regarding these attacks, the Victorian Government has also recently opened a new 24-hour support and welfare service for international students. This service is supposed to provide support and advice on a raft of issues for international students, including legal services.

Meanwhile, the Western Suburbs Legal Service are ahead of the game. Acknowledging the raft of issues facing international students, in particular given the high incidents of assault against Indian students out west, an International Student Legal Advice Clinic (ISLAC) was established by the Western Suburbs Legal Service, in collaboration with volunteers working with the international student community. This clinic began on the 1st July 2009 and deals with a raft of issues including housing and tenancy issues, student rights, police matters (including complaints), employment and discrimination/racism

We are joined tonight on Done by Law by Sanmati Verma, Coordinator of ISLAC to discuss the ongoing issues facing international students and whether the government response is adequate in addressing these issues.

Done By Law on Survival Day

- Done by Law on Survival Day -

Here at Done by Law as part of 3CRs special Survival day broadcast we’re
trying something a bit new – we’re going to broadcast a reading of Maria
Giannacopoulos’ 2006 essay - Terror Australis: White Sovereignty and the
Violence of Law as published in the Borderlands e-journal.

The central contention of this essay, is that Australian law is a regime
born of, and sustained through racial violence. The paper rejects the
notion that there is an absolute separation between the workings of
Australian law and the workings of white sovereignty. Maria uses the
federal anti-terrorism laws, and the Tampa ruling, to bring together two
distinct instances of Australian law in order to show the inextricability
of law and racial violence.

you can find the original Giannacopoulos essay at the borderlands e-journal:

DBL: New Police Powers: 1 December 2009

This week on Done By Law we talk to James Farrell, Principal Lawyer at the PILCH Homeless Person’s Legal Clinic, about proposed legislation soon to be made law, which is set to dramatically increase police powers in the State of Victoria.

These new laws will enable Police to conduct arbitrary searches of any person including children in designated zones.

Worryingly, this is the first piece of legislation to be introduced to Victoria’s Parliament with an acknowledgement that it is incompatible with the State Government’s new Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

DBL 24 Nov: Local indigenous leaders speak out against local law 8

Last month on Done By Law, we examined the recent decision by Yarra Council to place a ban on public drinking through the introduction of Local Law 8, which will give police the power to pour out opened drinks and issue on the spot fines of $100.

This week we speak to three Indigenous leaders from Collingwood about what impact they think the laws will have, and how they intend to fight these provisions (see our news section for the details).

We also speak to Fitzroy Legal Service advocate Meghan Fitzgerald about new laws being introduced to give police the power to move people on.

DBL: LOCAl law 8 and the ban on public drinking in yarra, 27 Oct 2009

This week on Done By Law we take a look at the recent decision by Yarra Council to place a ban on public drinking. Local Law 8, was passed at a heated Council meeting last week and will give police the power to pour out opened drinks and issue on the spot fines of $100. We’re joined by Councillor Steve Jolly, the only member of Council to oppose the ban, and Belinda Lo from Fitzroy Legal Service.

DBL: Discrimination on basis of sexuality in Victoria, Australia: 13 October 2009

Tonight on done by law we are joined by Hayley Conway from the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby to discuss how the ‘right to religious freedom’ is used trump justice and equal rights. While Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person because of a particular attribute – including race, disability, age, physical features, political belief or activity, breastfeeding, sexuality, gender and marital status - Victoria has more exemptions to its equal opportunity law than any other state in Australia.

DBL: Out of Africa and into Court: The legal problems of African refugees: 6 October 2009

This week on Done By Law, we speak to Katie Fraser from the Footscray Community Legal Centre about common legal problems faced by African refugees after they arrive in Australia and possible solutions.

Special DBL Podcast Series: Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum

On Thursday the 10th of September 09, the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum was held at the Koori Heritage Trust down on King Street.

The forum was organised by the Decarceration Working Group, with support and collaboration from Flat Out, Sisters Inside, the Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People and the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Service.

The day aimed to facilitate discussions on systemic issues in imprisonment, strategies for decarceration and social justice for imprisoned men and women in Victoria, with input from national and international speakers including formerly imprisoned people.

This is a special Done by Law podcast series, where you can download and listen to some of the highlights recorded on the day.

To see the rest of the Audio from the day and a ISJF program flyer, click on the Podcasts Tab at the top of the page and see ‘Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum # 2′

Rachel Herzing at the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum

Two weeks ago, the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum was held at the Koori Heritage Trust down on King Street.

The forum was organised by the Decarceration Working Group, with support and collaboration from Flat Out, Sisters Inside, the Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People and the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Service.

The day aimed to facilitate discussions on systemic issues in imprisonment, strategies for decarceration and social justice for imprisoned men and women in Victoria, with input from national and international speakers including formerly imprisoned people.

Rachel Herzing, an activist from the US with almost 20 years of organising experience, came to the forum and gave a talk about the work and politics of two US prison abolitionist organisations: Critical Resistance and Creative Interventions.

DBL: Parents Drug Testing Children: 8 September 2009

In July 2009, a US-based bioscience company launched online sales of their drug testing kit, Hair Confirm, in Australia. Parents can now take samples of their children’s hair and have them tested for cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy use in the last three months.

There are concerns parents will do this without their children’s consent, which has resulted in criticism of the testing kit from civil liberties groups and drug counsellors.

However – the proposed testing kit also raises a number of legal issues about the rights of children to consent to, and know about, medical testing on themselves, their access to medical records and what happens to children if they test positive to drugs via this testing method.

Tonight we are joined by Professor Loane Skene, a specialist in health and medical law, and Annie Davis from Youth Law to discuss these issues.