Done By Law

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.

Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum # 2

This audio is the second installment from the Imprisoned People and Social Justice Forum held in Melbourne on Thursday the 10th of September 2009.  See the DBL front page for the rest of the audio and details about the day:

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′

DBL: Coronial Inquest into Rooming House Fire: 29 Sept 2009

Findings from the Coronial Inquest were handed down today in the case of Leigh Sinclair and Christopher Giorgi who died when the Brunswick rooming house in which they were staying caught fire in the early hours of the morning on 1 October 2006. Five other people escaped the building with their lives. This fire and the deaths of Leigh Sinclair and Christopher Giorgi raised a raft of broader issues around rooming house regulation and the lack of safe and affordable housing which led to these preventable deaths.

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.

DBL: Campaign Respect: 1 September 2009

This week on Done by Law, we talk to Campaign Respect member, David Bourbon. Campaign Respect is a youth driven project which seeks to address a perceived prejudice against young people by Victorian Public Transport Authorised Officers (AO’s).

The campaign aims to gather stories from young people detailing their interactions with AO’s and experiences of being overtly targeted.  Young people will be encouraged to record their encounters and complaints through a variety of media in order to campaign for better treatment of young people on Public Transport.

For more information go to Youthlaw’s website: http://www.youthlaw.asn.au/.

The Neighbourhood Justice Centre

This week on Done By Law we take a look at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre, Australia’s first “neighbourhood court”, which began operating in 2007. Located on Wellington Street in Collingwood, the Centre aims to take a different approach to justice dealt out by courts. It is based on the idea of restorative justice: addressing the causes of crime and encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions. We speak to the Director of the Centre, Kerry Walker, to find out how this works in practice and to discuss some of the issues involved.

DBL: Drug Trafficking and Human Rights Charter: 11 August 2009

The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities establishes a ‘dialogue model’ of human rights protection which seeks to ensure that human rights are taken into account when developing, interpreting and applying Victorian law and policy without displacing current constitutional arrangements.  But does the  Charter really have any practical meaning for individuals before the Courts in Victoria?

Tonight on Done by Law we speak to barrister Michael Croucher about a case in which the Charter has been considered in detail by the Court of Appeal in Victoria for the first time.

DBL 4 August 09: Anti-terror laws - Rudd strikes back

The Rudd Goverment is re-thinking anti-terrorism laws.  We speak to Michael Pearce SC, President of Liberty Victoria about proposed changes and the current state of anti-terrorism laws in Australia. We also consider deficiencies in existing terrorism legislation and cover proposed Greens Party amendments to (the Anti-Terror Reform Bill) currently before the Senate.