2013 News Articles

11 June, 2013

Professor Elizabeth Handsley Interview

There have always been issues surrounding the media's impact on children, but today's parents are confronted with a host of unprecedented challenges, including smartphone apps, raunch culture, violent video games and increasingly insidious junkfood advertising. Professor Elizabeth Handsley is the President of the Australian Council on Children and the Media, and a keen observer of these issues.


Click here to listen to the interview online.

Radio Station:  ABC Classic FM

Journalist:  Margaret Throsby

 

13 May, 2013

Exploring Crime and the Military

Patterns and forms of crime in the military and in military operations are the focus of a two-day symposium currently underway at Flinders University Victoria Square.

Dr Ben Wadham, sociologist and symposium co-convenor, said Crime and Justice Challenges for the Contemporary Military, presented by Flinders Law School and the School of Education, would examine international practices of war and peacekeeping and the domestic practices of defence forces.

"The military holds a dominant place in societies around the globe. Militaries are simultaneously expressive of broader cultural mores and practices while also highly distinctive domains in their own right," Dr Wadham said.

"How do these social relations shape crime in, against, and by the military? How does the military respond to criminal matters? And how does the relationship between the civil and military worlds operate in preventing and responding to crime and criminality?

"The aim of the symposium is to explore how the concepts, theories and methods of criminology might be usefully applied to enhance understanding and policy responses to a range of matters that potentially impact upon the reputation and operational effectiveness of armed forces," he said.

Among the line-up of academics and practitioners taking part are Michael Dante Mori, the former US military lawyer for Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, who spoke yesterday about the use of drones in the War on Terror; and Stephen Mugford, a social scientist who after an academic career is now a consultant working on a range of projects with the ADF and who has had a long-term involvement at theoretical and practical levels with issues of crime, justice and punishment.

Running concurrently with the symposium is Unmasking Militarism: Camouflage, Nature, Hegemony, an exhibition of paintings by Dr Amy Hamilton, senior lecturer in visual arts and arts education in the School of Education.

For further information, contactDr Ben Wadham.

 

13 May, 2013

Games Ratings Losing the Battle?

The new classification system for video games, introduced in January this year, is not providing the promised better protection for Australian children, according to Elizabeth Handsley, Professor of Law at Flinders University and President of the Australian Council on Children and the Media Australia.

"Our review of the statistics for the past three months has shown that violent material that was considered too extreme for teens in the US, Canada and Europe is readily available to that group in Australia," Professor Handsley said.

Click here to read the full article online.

3 May, 2013

Adult Video Games Need Stricter Control

Professor Elizabeth Handsley joins Keith and Jane to discuss R18+ video games. Are the guidelines effective in protecting children from gratuitously violent and inappropriate games?

Click here to listen online.

Radio station:  5AA

Journalists:  Keith Conlon and Jane Reilly

 

3 May, 2013

Group Warns Video Violence Worry Persists

The Australian Council on Children and the Media says a video game classification system introduced this year is failing to better protect children from extreme violence.

The Federal Government introduced a R 18+ category and aimed to strengthen the MA 15+ classification.

Council president Elizabeth Handsley is concerned Australian children remain exposed to more violence than children overseas.

Click here to read the full interview online.

Publication:  ABC News

 

23 April, 2013

Flinders Graduate is SA Gray Young Lawyer of the Year

Flinders graduate and Associate of Finlaysons, Paul Gordon, has been named joint winner of the South Australian Gray Young Lawyer of the Year award.

Mr Gordon (pictured, right) and Stephen Mitchell (pictured, left) were presented with the honour, which recognises their outstanding contributions to the legal profession and the community, at the Law Society of South Australia's 2013 Young Lawyers' Ball on Friday night.

A winner of no fewer than 14 University prizes, including the University Medal, Mr Gordon graduated with Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice and Bachelor of Commerce degrees in 2009.

Click here to view the article online.

 

16 April, 2013

Flinders Honours Federal Court Judge

Flinders University today awarded a Degree of Laws honoris causa to Justice Bruce Lander (pictured), a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and recently appointed as South Australia's first Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

The honorary degree recognises Justice Lander's long and distinguished service to the law at both national and state levels. He has also been a strong supporter of Flinders Law School and has made a significant contribution to its continued success.

Click here to read the full article.

 

20 March, 2013

Keogh Case Inspires Legal Reform

In an Australian first, a new statutory right to appeal was passed by the Legislative Council yesterday. Jeremy Roberts analyses the origins of the reform.

Scrath a little deeper and the DNA of the Government's Statutory Amendment (Appeals) Bill 2012 belongs to one man - Henry Keogh.

Keogh was convicted of murdering his fiancée, Adelaide lawyer Anna Jane Cheney, in 1994 and has been trying to clear his name ever since, pointing to serious
questions over the forensic evidence used to convict him.

It is certain that Keogh will be among the first prisoners to ask for an appeal under the new Act. Others thought to be ready to appeal again are David Szach, Edward
Splatt and Derek Bromley. 

Click here to view the full article:

Click here to view the article online.

Publication:  InDaily

Journalist:  Jeremy Roberts

 

19 March, 2013

Historic New Right to Appeal Likely to Pass This Week

State Parliament is set to pass Australia's first new statutory right of appeal for prisoners who wish to test their convictions with new and compelling evidence of innocence.

The legislation could be passed by the Legislative Council as early as today.

The prospect has led retired High Court judge Michael Kirby to hope that the reform be adopted across Australia so as to avoid miscarriages of justice for people who have already used up their single right to appeal.

Click here to download the full article: 

Click here to view the article online.

Publication:  InDaily

Journalist:  Jeremy Roberts

 

4 March, 2013

Sterilisation of Disabled Women

In the past five years twenty South Australian girls have had forced hysterectomies. Some see this as cruel while others see it as necessary.

While only twenty cases have been recorded, disability advocates say the number could be higher because of unrecorded overseas or illegal procedures.

An expert in the reproductive rights of intellectually disabled women, Professor Elizabeth Handsley, from Flinders University Law School, spoke to Angus Randall.

Click here to listen to the full interview online.

Station:  Radio Adelaide

Journalist:  Angus Randall

 

4 March, 2013

New Laws as Gun Crime Spikes in SA

The Federal Coalition is accusing the Prime Minister of using the announcement of a national taskforce targeting gangs and gun violence to win votes in western Sydney.

But the announcement is gaining notice in Adelaide too, where there have been 18 shooting incidents since New Year's Eve.

And today, tougher penalties for gun crimes will take effect in South Australia, as Rebecca Brice reports.

Click here to listen to the full interview online.

Station:  Radio National (Canberra)

Journalist:  Rebecca Brice

 

19 February, 2013

Bruce Lander appointed to ICAC

Federal Court judge Bruce Lander has been appointed as South Australia's first Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

Premier Jay Weatherill announced the appointment of the South Australian this morning.

Justice Lander will formally commence his appointment later in the year, but will "now begin assisting us with the establishment of the ICAC", said Attorney-General John Rau.

Justice Lander, who like Prime Minister Julia Gillard was educated at Unley High School, has been a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia since 2003 when he was appointed by then Prime Minister John Howard.

Weatherill said Justice Lander would bring "an enormous amount of experience and gravitas to the critical role of our first Commissioner".

"To have such a highly regarded Federal Court Judge head the South Australian ICAC will reaffirm confidence in the integrity of South Australia's public offices," he said.

The Statutory Officer's Committee met early this morning and approved the appointment.

Justice Lander was admitted to the Supreme Court of South Australian in 1969 after completing articles with Baker McEwin & Co. He practiced as a solicitor with the firm until 1982 when he joined the independent bar. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1986 and was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1994.

He has also served as an additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT, Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and a Judge of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island.

Publication:  InDaily

* Justice Bruce Lander is the Patron of the Flinders Law Students' Association.

 

11 February, 2013

Victims of crime falling back on drugs to cope with ordeals

A Flinders University pilot survey of 58 clients at the Victim Support Service last year found almost half - 26 victims - had increased self-medication.

This included drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist or medical professional, as well as alcohol, illicit drugs and medication obtained without a prescription.

Researchers now want funding to expand the study to see whether the behaviour is widespread, but suspect victims will under-report substance use.

Click here to read the full article online.

Publication:  The Advertiser

Journalist:  Adam Hegarty

5 February, 2013

Judges lose sleep over work stress

Does your job ever stress you out?

Imagine if your work day involved deciding whether or not to send someone to jail, choosing which parent a child should live with or delving into the details of horrific crimes.

A new study has shown a substantial number of our judges and magistrates are regularly losing sleep due to the nature of their work.

Click here to listen to the full radio interview online.

Radio Station:  ABC Radio National

 

1 February, 2013

Judgments and workloads judged

There are calls for courts to introduce word limits on decisions and clearer policies on how cases are allocated, after a report released this week found almost a third of judges and magistrates are unhappy with court policies and administration.

The Australian Institute of Judicial Administration released its report, Judicial Workload, on Tuesday, revealing that 27 per cent of judges and 28 per cent of magistrates were "very dissatisfied" or "dissatisfied" with court policies and administration.

Click here to view the full article online.

Publication:  The Australian Financial Review

Journalist:  Rachel Nickless

 

1 February, 2013

Stress levels build on the bench

Magistrates feel more stress than judges, and despite both groups working long hours, overall job satisfaction is very high on the bench, according to a new report released this week.

Click here to view the full article online.

Publication:  The Australian | Business Section

Journalist:  Susannah Moran 

 

30 January, 2013

Judged to be a good life

A major survey of the Australian judiciary has revealed that, although one third of judges regularly lose sleep over their decisions, the overwhelming majority love what they do.

Click here to view the full article online.

Publication:  Lawyers Weekly

30 January, 2013

Judges under stress from workloads

A new report has revealed judges and magistrates are under increasing stress due to workloads, and calls for courts to set word limits for judgments to encourage speedy decision-making.

Click here to download the full article:

Publication:  The Australian Financial Review

Journalist:  Rachel Nickless

 

30 January, 2013

The real benchmark: judicial independence

To be a judge or magistrate is to be at once a public figure and a mystery - an eminence, to be sure, but also an enigma. To rise through the profession, from the floor of the court to the bench, represents not merely a slight increase in altitude, but a complete change of attitude. You are no longer just a part of the legal profession: you're also above it, as an independent and impartial individual. Your role is indeed judgmental, and you must prepare detailed accounts of your decisions. You work long hours. You must implement the law and keep up with developments within it.

Click here to view the full article online.

Publication:  The Age

 

 29 January, 2013

Stress and doubts outweighed by judges' love for work, study finds

Judges lose sleep over their decisions only occasionally, they don't think collegiality is important - but they like their colleagues nonetheless - and love their work, even though the volume is unrelenting.

Click here to view the full article online.

Publication:  The Sydney Morning Herald

Journalist:  Harriet Alexander

 29 January, 2013

Workload on the bench 'unrelenting'

Most judges and magistrates in Australia believe the volume of cases they hear is unrelenting and many say their decisions keep them up at night, but a large majority find their work rewarding and would follow the same path if they had the chance again.

Click here to read the full article online.

Publication:  The Age

Journalist:  Andrea Petrie

 

10 January, 2013

Japan urged not to revoke apology to WWII 'comfort women'

Japan's opposition is urging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe not to wind back a 20-year-old apology to women kept as sex slaves during World War Two. Mr Abe took office last month and has previously called for a review of the landmark apology issued in 1993, known as the Kono statement.

Click here to listen to the full interview online.

Source:  ABC Radio Australia

Journalist:  Laura Tchilinguirian

 2012 News Articles

 

7 December, 2012

Refugee Visa Entry Mechanism a Better Way to Stop the Boats

A Flinders law academic is calling on the Federal Government to adopt an alternative strategy towards asylum seekers that would see some legitimate refugees come to Australia on working visas rather than as "boat people". Dr Hossein Esmaeili was speaking yesterday at a two-day Flinders University workshop that brings together international and national experts on migration as well as local practitioners and politicians. The Irregular Migration Workshop is financially supported by the Academy of Social Sciences Australia and the Ian Potter Foundation. 

Click here to read the full article online.

Source:  Flinders University

 

31 August, 2012

2012 Three Minute Thesis Competition

The 3MT is a transnational competition for University students of which Flinders University is a participating University. Research higher degree (PhD and Masters by research) students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

Congratulations to Jessica Viven for taking out the People's Choice Award.

Click here for further information and to view Jessica's presentation.

Source:  Flinders University

 

18 September, 2012

Six Learning and Teaching Citations for Flinders - Congratulations to Associate Professor Marinella Marmo 

Flinders University has received six Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching (formerly ALTC) for 2012.

A total of 11 Citations were made to South Australian universities, including one to Associate Professor Marinella Marmo for establishing and sustaining a Criminal Justice Honours environment where self-reflection, goal-oriented future vision, and rich experiential learning opportunities motivate students towards success.

Please click here to read the full story.

Source:  Flinders University 

 

20 August, 2012

Flinders Law Students Win Second Prize in Connecting with Law, Short Film Competition

Congratulations to Jordan Tutton, Reuben White, James Trezise, Georgina Landon, Hannah Maccini, Cassie Byrnes & Jack Gillespie for taking our second prize in the Oxford University Press short film competition.

Click here to view the winning entries.

Source:  Oxford University Press

 

7 August, 2012

Breaking the family prison cycle

The cause, extent and impact of intergenerational incarceration in South Australia will be investigated in the country's first comprehensive study of the phenomenon by Flinders University criminal justice academic Mark Halsey.

Professor Halsey (pictured) has just secured more than $700,000 from the Australian Research Council's prestigious Future Fellowship fund to explore the nature and extent of intergenerational incarceration across different ages, races, genders and socio-economic backgrounds.

Click here to read the full story online.

Source:  Flinders University  

 

31 July, 2012

Clearing path to appeal wrongful convictions

South Australia is set to overhaul its criminal appeals process for the first time in almost a century, thanks in part to research and advocacy by Flinders law lecturer Ms Bibi Sangha.

A Legislative Review Committee has made a recommendation to set up a new statutory right of appeal that will enable prisoners with evidence of a wrongful conviction to directly approach the courts.

Click here to read the full story online.

Source:  Flinders University  

 

25 July, 2012

Flinders Fellows take on the future

Three Flinders University researchers have received prestigious Future Fellowships from the Australian Research Council, securing $2.18 million to fund their research over the next five years.

The Fellowships, announced today by the Minister for Research and Science, Senator Chris Evans, are a program to support and create opportunities for highly qualified mid-career researchers. In the 2012 round, 209 Fellowships worth $151 million were awarded nationally.

The research by the three new Future Fellows at Flinders extends across the areas of cardio-respiratory medicine, criminology and primary health, and will examine the causes and effects of sleep apnoea, the phenomenon of intergenerational incarceration, and the impact of stigma and discrimination on health and well-being.

Professor David Day (pictured), Flinders Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) congratulated the recipients, Associate Professor Peter Catcheside, Professor Mark Halsey and Dr Anna Ziersch. He said the three Fellowships represented recognition of individual ability as well as the overall strength and breadth of the University's research capacity.

Click here to read the full story online.

Source:  Flinders University

 

17 July, 2012

FLSA Students' Success at ALSA Conference

The Australian Law Students' Association Annual Conference took place in Melbourne from the 9th to the 16th of July and the Flinders Law Students' Association and our competitors did us proud.

The Flinders Law Students' Association won the ALSA Award for Best Careers Publication and the Conference Cup (an award for advertising and being involved in all facets of Conference).

Rachel Wang and George Lukic are the National Champions of the Piper Alderman Sir Lawrence Street Negotiation Championship. Rachel and George now have the opportunity to compete in the New Zealand Law Students' Association Championships and the International Championships in Chicago

 

Katrina Hartman was in the grand final of the national Clayton Utz Paper Presentation Championship.

Katrina Hartman and Michael Swanson also competed in the semi-finals of the Australian Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Mooting Competition.

Congratulations as well to David Mason and the Careers and Education Team for their work on the Careers Guide and Bridget Laffy for leading such an extraordinary team of competitors. Also congratulations to all our competitors for being part of this distinguished delegation.

 

5 June, 2012

The Hon. Michael Kirby Visits Flinders Law School

Please click here to view the recorded footage from the lectur.

Click here to view the photos: 

 

21 May, 2012

Prisoners paint a life without bars

Expressing their innermost feelings through art has allowed dozens of SA prisoners to experience some freedom.

Inmates from the seven correctional facilities involved in the Art by Prisoners program have put 32 pieces on show at the Adelaide Festival Centre until May 31.

Based on a UK program from the 1960s, the program is a research project by Flinders Law School PhD student Jeremy Ryder , who is looking at the positive impact of art within and beyond jail time.

Click here to read the full story online.

Publication:  The Advertiser

Journalist:  Doug Robertson

 

3 May, 2012

Criminology crossing borders

After a four-year stint at the University of Wollongong, criminologist Professor Andrew Goldsmith (pictured) will return to Flinders Law School in July to take up one of the Vice-Chancellor's Strategic Professorships.

Professor Goldsmith - who was instrumental in the development of criminal justice studies at Flinders over 12 years, an area which performed well in last year's Excellence in Research for Australia rankings - spoke about his ambitious research and teaching agenda with Flinders Indaily.

Click here to read the full story online.

Source:  Flinders University

 

3 April, 2012

Supreme Court Hearing at Flinders Law School

Justice Tom Gray heard an appeal from a Magistrates Court in Flinders Law School's Moot Court. The case was a challenge to compulsory voting at elections - this raises significant public issues which affect us all.

Click here to watch the video footage of the case.

Click here to see the Flinders InDaily coverage of the case.

Click here to view the article from  

Click here to view the

Source:  Flinders University

 

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