James Jupp reviews the Draft Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005. He notes that the draft legislation breaches a number of long-standing legal protections and raises concerns about how it may be implemented.

John von Doussa, president of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, considers the human rights implications of the recent amendments to the National Security Information Act 2004. He finds that the Act potentially compromises Australia's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Frank Morgan responds to a recent speech by Senator Helen Coonan, Federal Minister for Communications, on proposals to change Australia's media ownership laws. He discusses how new technology has changed the way we receive and digest news and information.

Simon Rice examines the very different levels of protection against hate speech that exist in different Australian jurisdictions. He highlights Australia's unfulfilled international obligation to legislate against religious vilification and the interesting stance adopted by the NSW government on the subject.

Expanding on the issue of protection of journalists' sources, Helen Ester looks at a range of factors affecting the Press Gallery's role in public accountability. These include not only government pursuit of whistleblowers but also a weak freedom of information regime making journalists overly dependent on leaks, and a hollowing out of the press gallery...