On 27 February 2001 the Green MLC Ian Cohen moved a notice of motion to introduce a private members Bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia. The purpose of this paper is to update the legal situation, review recent developments in the euthanasia debate, and to present an overview of the issues involved. Where appropriate, particularly in...

The purpose of this report has been to describe and explain the past, with a view to recommending changes for the present and for the future. The report is an acknowledgment that many mothers who gave up their children to adoption were denied their rights, and did not uncaringly give away their children. Part One...

The purpose of this paper is to comment upon the relationship between MPs and copyright law and to analyse the impact of the law of parliamentary privilege upon it. That relationship can be approached from at least three perspectives which can be categorised as the 'governmental', 'parliamentary' and 'private'.

It has been over 10 years since the State Owned Corporations Act 1989 was introduced into Parliament, and five years since major amendments were introduced by the Carr Government in 1995. This paper analyses the differences between types of State owned corporations and, using case studies, looks at the operation of some corporations and the...

In 1996 the Parliamentary Library Research Service published a Briefing Paper (No 6/1996) on majority jury verdicts. This paper canvassed the arguments for and against majority jury verdicts. The purpose of this update note is to present an overview of the position in other related jurisdictions where jury verdicts in criminal and civil trials are...