Discrimination
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ALA calls on Victorian Bar to take action against discriminatory behaviour
8th Sep 2023A notice posted in a Melbourne barristers’ chambers mocking the women in law awards is very disappointing and is a reminder that discriminatory conduct in the profession remains a problem, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance.
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Govt urged to implement recommendations allowing equal access to jury duty
22nd May 2023Proposed law reform to ensure people who are deaf or blind can participate in juries in Victoria is welcome.
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Flawed Religious Discrimination Bill must be fully redrafted
8th Feb 2022The flawed Religious Discrimination Bill will take away hard-fought protections for people who need them and should not be passed, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).
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Lawyers’ duty to the administration of justice undermined by Religious Discrimination Bill
3rd Dec 2021If it becomes law, the Religious Discrimination Bill will allow lawyers to make statements of belief even when these comments could damage the reputation of the justice system.
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Rethinking access to racial justice
12th Nov 2020Despite initial expectations, race discrimination laws have not made as strong a contribution as they might have to First Nations peoples, partly due to problems relating to access to justice and, in particular, the under-utilisation of anti-discrimination legal remedies.
Dr Fiona Allison and Jodie Luck discuss potential solutions which include reform of the mainstream legal system informed by First Nations peoples’ needs and perspectives, and support of community-led responses to racism, including those likely to increase awareness of legal rights.
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Australia’s Religious Discrimination Bill: Hard cases make bad law
5th Nov 2020The Religious Discrimination Bill has received a mixed reaction from the Australian public, and it is evident that not everyone will be satisfied with the final version of the legislation.
Emily Wittig from Stacks Collins Thompson and Geoff Baldwin from Stacks Champion discuss the Bill’s repercussions for workplaces, and the difficulty of defining ‘religion’ and identifying the line between vilification and merely offending someone.
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Flawed religious discrimination bill will permit discriminatory conduct
28th Feb 2020The flawed religious discrimination bill is an alarming backwards step which will take away hard-fought protections for people who need them.
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Proposed religious freedom reforms provide privilege not protection, say lawyers
27th Sep 2019The proposed religious freedom legislation needs substantial changes to be workable and fair, according to the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).
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ALA welcomes Royal Commission investigation into mental health discrimination by insurers
10th Sep 2018The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has welcomed the decision by the banking Royal Commission to call for more information into the issue of mental health discrimination by insurers.
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Can lease agreements be discriminatory?
17th May 2018An exploration of a recent case in which a non-compete clause in a shopping centre lease led to a discrimination complaint against a barber shop.
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Australia’s human rights record comes under UN scrutiny
17th Oct 2017Australia’s approach to implementing and protecting human rights will be scrutinised by a United Nations (UN) committee this week, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.
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No evidence of link between national security and citizenship
6th Sep 2017There is no evidence that proposed changes to the process of gaining Australian citizenship would improve the country’s national security, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.
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Racial discrimination laws no threat to free speech
28th Feb 2017A review into Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act has shown that the country’s racial discrimination laws are working well and that there is no reason to alter the current legislation, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.
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ALA backs plan for state-based racial discrimination laws
11th Jul 2014The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has supported a commitment by the Victorian Opposition to replicate racial discrimination laws in state legislation if they are repealed at a federal level.
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Norrie: paving the way for meaningful recognition of sex and gender
5th Jun 2014The recent High Court decision in Norrie was significant in its recognition of identity, and that not all human beings can be classified by sex. Giri Sivaraman and Alessandra Peldova-McClelland examine the case's impact on LGBTI rights in Australia.
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Racial discrimination changes to axe vicarious liability & exemptions
1st May 2014Proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) are being hotly debated in the media, however, the focus on s18C could be missing crucial issues, writes Emily Mitchell, Legal and Policy Officer at the Australian Lawyers Alliance.
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Vicarious liability to be chopped under RDA changes
30th Apr 2014Employers may win and individuals lose out with vicarious liability and exemptions on the chopping block under proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.
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Proposed changes to RDA will disallow people from utilising law
26th Mar 2014Proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act will effectively disallow people from utilising the law, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.
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ALA commends Attorney-General for not rushing anti-discrim bill
22nd Mar 2013The Australian Lawyers Alliance today commended the Federal Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, for not rushing consideration of the anti-discrimination bill or the reading and deliberation of submissions pertaining to the Bill, which may have resulted in substandard legislation.
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ALA welcomes Roxon's decision to review the right to offend
31st Jan 2013The Australian Lawyers Alliance today welcomed news from the Federal Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, that she would revisit the exposure draft of the Government’s proposed anti-discrimination reforms – in particular the section removing the prohibition of causing offence.
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ALA responds to Abbott call to end Racial Discrimination Act provision
6th Aug 2012“Liberal Leader Tony Abbott’s proposal to wind back the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act’s protection against racial abuse should alarm all Australians,” Australian Lawyers Alliance Director and barrister, Greg Barns, said.
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ALA concerned Assange's lawyer on 'no fly' list
19th Apr 2012Australian Lawyers Alliance National President, Greg Barns, has expressed grave concern at the placing of lawyer Jennifer Robinson on a ‘no fly list.’
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Bipartisan Stronger Futures policy in breach of international law
14th Mar 2012Release today of the Senate report on the proposed Stronger Futures law, has prompted the Australian Lawyers Alliance to warn the federal government to be wary of breaching international human rights decrees if the legislation passes through the Senate.
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Politicians ruling by stealth as wilful ignorance flourishes
12th Mar 2012Opinion piece written by Mandy Wyer for attribution to ALA National President, Greg Barns. It appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald Opinion page on Friday 16 March 2012.
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Stronger Futures film and consultation at Parliament House today
27th Feb 2012Notification of the Our Generation Indigenous film and Stronger Futures Consultation Evening at Parliament House theatrette, Canberra.
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Proposed Stronger Futures law will put more Indigenous people in jail
7th Feb 2012The Australian Lawyers Alliance said today that the federal government’s proposed Stronger Futures legislation will continue to erode Indigenous advancement and increase the Indigenous jail population.
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Indigenous rights documentary to be screened at Parliament House
3rd Feb 2012Concern that federal politicians are about to vote on crucial Indigenous rights legislation, without proper evaluation or community consultation, has prompted an Indigenous documentary screening and discussion evening at Parliament House, Canberra, this month.
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