Edited by the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology

New Research

Do employers discriminate by gender? A field experiment in female-dominated occupations

05 March 2010This paper tests for gender discrimination by sending fake CVs to apply for entry-level jobs.

Child protection and freedom of speech online

01 March 2010Advocates of online child protection and freedom of expression share a deep-seated belief in the importance of protecting basic human rights. Yet these beliefs are often clouded by perceived (and real) opposition in the actual practice of law, policy, and regulation. This has restricted the policy options available for dealing with threats to both child safety and free speech online, and has often resulted in these interests being portrayed as diametrically opposed.

Securing Australia, protecting our community

23 February 2010This white paper sets out the Australia government’s counter-terrorism objectives and the means by which it will pursue them.
Victim compensation and domestic violence: a national overview

Victim compensation and domestic violence: a national overview

19 February 2010This paper argues that compensation payments can assist women to deal with the aftermath of violence at both a practical and symbolic level.
The role of vocational education and training in the labour market outcomes of people with disabilities

The role of vocational education and training in the labour market outcomes of people with disabilities

19 February 2010This report finds that for people who are not working, completing a VET qualification increases the chance of employment and more so for people with a disability.
A stronger, fairer Australia

A stronger, fairer Australia

19 February 2010Launched on 28 January 2010, A Stronger, Fairer Australia sets out the Australian Government’s vision and strategy for social inclusion, now and into the future.
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Crime

From crisis to crime: the escalation of civil and family law issues to criminal matters in Aboriginal communities in NSW

10 March 2010The issue of appropriate legal and social supports is critical to the question of Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. This article discusses this relationship, arguing that the overwhelming emphasis on communities' criminal law needs distracts from other equally important, though perhaps less urgent, practical concerns.

Targeting scams

08 March 2010More than 20,000 scam reports were made to the ACCC in 2009, an approximate increase of 16 per cent compared with 2008. This report explains key trends in scam activity and highlights the impact of scams on the community.

Rights

Commentary

Silence

27 February 2010In this essay, first published in The Age, Maria Turmarkin explores what being silent or saying something actually means.

Charter of rights as urgent as ever

23 February 2010A human rights act should remain a priority for the federal government, argues Susan Ryan

Are All Online Images Fair Game?

03 February 2010It's easy to pinch a photo from a website and post it in a new context. But how is the easy circulation of images online challenging our ideas about privacy asks Jason Wilson in New Matilda?
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Audio

Three areas of human rights

Listen to audio
05 March 2010Disability and Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, looks at three areas of human rights in which the involvement of the Australian Human Rights Commission has played a part in changing the human rights landscape

The right to property and the right to health

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04 March 2010Is it morally permissible to impose strong patent protections where doing so prices important new medicines out of the reach of many poor people?

Law

OK, computer: file sharing, the music industry, and why we need the pirate party

OK, computer: file sharing, the music industry, and why we need the pirate party

05 March 2010This essay examines the central issues raised by illegal file sharing and the future for record companies in an environment that increasingly demands flexibility.

Video

Charter for innovation, creativity and access to knowledge

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27 November 2009Citizens, artists and consumers are no longer powerless and isolated in the face of the content-providing industries: now individuals across many different spheres collaborate, participate and decide.

John Pilger attacks the Australian Government

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26 November 2009As conflicts rage around the globe, Pilger argues that in Australia we have largely remained silent on injustices in the Middle East, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Aboriginal communities and refugees.

Justice system

Assessing the impact of 'available street time' and mortality on estimates of recidivism

04 March 2010Using survival analysis techniques to derive estimates of reoffending, the study compares adjusted and unadjusted rates and assesses how these rates vary for different offender populations and over different follow-up periods.

Crime risks of three-dimensional virtual environments

24 February 2010The 'virtual-reality' promoted by 3dves is the source of great speculation and concern over a range of specific and emerging forms of crime and harm to users.

Websites

Human Rights Act myth busters

02 March 2010Monash University's Castan Centre 'myth-busters' address claims made during the spirited debate following the 2009 National Human Rights Consultation Committee report recommending the adoption of an Australian Human Rights Act.

Australian Youth Forum

12 November 2009The AYF is run by the Australian Government as a communication channel between the Government, young people (aged 15 – 24) and the organisations that work with, for and on behalf of young people.

AustLII: Australasian Legal Information Institute

18 September 2009The Australasian Legal Information Institute provides free internet access to Australasian legal materials. AustLII is one of the largest sources of legal materials on the net, with over 20 gigabytes of raw text materials and over four million searchable documents.

Most viewed: This week

1
Do employers discriminate by gender? A field experiment in female-dominated occupations
2
Perspectives on migrants 2010
3
Report on government services 2010
4
From crisis to crime: the escalation of civil and family law issues to criminal matters in Aboriginal communities in NSW
5
OK, computer: file sharing, the music industry, and why we need the pirate party

Jobs

Events

Conference
ACOSS National Conference 2010: A vote for equity
25 Mar 2010 - 9:00am - 26 Mar 2010 - 5:00pm
Canberra
Conference
Workforce Policy in 2010 and Into the Future
31 Mar 2010
Sydney

Books

The mother of Mohammed: An Australian woman's extraordinary journey into Jihad

The mother of Mohammed: An Australian woman's extraordinary journey into Jihad

  • Sally Neighbour
  • Melbourne University Publishing
From Mudgee girl, to hippy backpacker, to Muslim convert and perceived threat to Australia’s national security, the extraordinary story of Rabiah Hutchinson.
Drawing the global colour line: white men's countries and the international challenge of racial equality

Drawing the global colour line: white men's countries and the international challenge of racial equality

  • Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds
  • Melbourne University Publishing
A pioneering account of the transnational production of whiteness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Noticeboard

Secrecy law reforms strike a blow to old culture of government secrecy
12 March 2010

The Australian Law Reform Commission report into Commonwealth secrecy laws, Secrecy Laws and Open Government in Australia (ALRC Report 112) is the result of a 15 -month inquiry which identified 506 secrecy provisions in 176 pieces of Commonwealth legislation, including 358 criminal secrecy offences.

National Human Rights Online Consultation
27 May 2009

The National Human Rights Online Consultation on Open Forum will run from 19 May until 26 June 2009, providing an extended opportunity for the Australian community to share their views about which rights and responsibilities matter to us as a society,

Policy Guides

Arts for all: opening doors to people with a disability

This guide provides practical and long-term ways for artists and arts organisations to enhance their access, market their events to the disabled community and build new audiences.

15-02-10

Topics

APO