The ability of dissents to pave the way for change in the law is regularly cited as one of their virtues. But this examination of a period of the court’s recent history shows that the direct reversal of a precedent in favour of the minority opinion which accompanied it is actually very rare.

Dr Robin Derricourt says one small modification to the research funding model could deliver major gains in impact and productivity for Government, universities and individual academics alike. • At first appearance the numbers seem stark. Government is investing more and more public money on research: $8.3 billion over 10 years. Defending taxpayer interests, Government wants...

Sean Brennan reviews two key sets of changes contained in the 2006 Amendment Act. It does so against the backdrop of the Land Rights Act’s chequered political history, in which bipartisan endorsement and ideological antagonism have jostled for priority.

Family violence mars the lives of a very large number of Indigenous Australians, helping to effectively disable many communities and deny future generations a basic chance for health, happiness and prosperity. It is important to understand why some programs aimed at changing this situation succeed, and in fact what success means in this field, both...

On 1 July 2006 the Australian Family Law Act 1975 underwent major reforms with the introduction of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006. The reforms have serious implications for adult and child victims of family violence. Among the safeguards for victims accompanying the changes to the Act is the introduction of family...