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Plain packaging legislation and international investor rights: a challenge to Australia’s regulatory sovereignty
by Sarah Joseph The much-discussed plain packaging legislation for cigarettes will come into force until December 2012. Tobacco companies plan to wage a sustained campaign of “lawfare” against it, including a likely constitutional challenge and arbitral proceedings under a Hong Kong/Australia bilateral agreement. There is also the possibility of proceedings against Australia in the World…
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Can the Australian Government Return Unsuccessful Asylum-seekers to Afghanistan?
By Adam Fletcher Yesterday it was reported on the ABC that unsuccessful asylum-seeker Ismail Mirza Jan is to be the first to be returned to Afghanistan involuntarily. This last word is important, because previous returnees have all accepted what’s known as an Assisted Voluntary Return package. These sorts of packages were also offered by the…
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Do we need better privacy protection in Australia?
By Adam Fletcher Protection of privacy in Australia was brought into stark relief last week with the ABC’s coverage of the Federal Government’s current compulsory Australian Health Survey being conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The ABC reports that some participants have found the survey “deeply intrusive and a stressful violation of their privacy” because…
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The Occupy movement and the Importance of Civil Protest
Sarah Joseph The “Occupy” movement has swept the world in the last five weeks, as seems appropriate in this year of demonstrations by people tired of a clapped-out status quo. Of course, the Occupy movement is quite different to those that overran Tahrir Square or who now bravely withstand the bullets of the Syrian State. …
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Occupy Melbourne – One Observer’s Account of the Eviction
By Andre Dao I received a text message on Friday morning from a friend at the Occupy Melbourne protest at City Square, saying that the protesters were about to be forcibly evicted. I had previously been down to City Square the previous Saturday as the protesters were setting up, and my impression of the movement…
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In Praise of Independent Oversight
By Adam Fletcher Anyone who watched the ABC’s 7.30 Report story this week on the death of a 52 year-old father who had been convicted of traffic offences in Grafton prison would have been horrified. For those who did not see it, this man was dying of a brain haemorrhage for hours while guards treated…
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law 