Going postal for same sex marriage
The plebiscite policy has delayed the recognition of same-sex marriage in Australia, but it has also thrown up intolerable tensions within the Coalition and is probably unworkable.
George Williams AO is one of Australia’s leading constitutional lawyers, having worked for many years as an academic and as a barrister. He is the Dean, the Anthony Mason Professor and a Scientia Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales.
The plebiscite policy has delayed the recognition of same-sex marriage in Australia, but it has also thrown up intolerable tensions within the Coalition and is probably unworkable.
A constitutional convention representing all Australians will provide a platform to argue why an Indigenous advisory body is the right change.
National intervention scuttled the Northern Territory law, which begs an important question. Would a state euthanasia law also be short lived?
When Tony Abbott laid down his conservative manifesto last week, the immediate question was how this would affect the standing of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Less attention was paid to Abbott's alternative program for government. It includes a proposal for governments to bypass the Senate, which he described as the "mother of all reforms".
Our leaders must avoid the temptation to prejudge and alarm the community through inflated and divisive language.
Mabo forced us to confront the convenient fiction upon which Australia was built, writes George Williams.
The Uluru statement is a landmark moment in the reshaping of our system of government to reflect the aspirations of Australia's first peoples.
Australia's leaders are trying to address challenges according to rules made in the horse-and-buggy era.
You might think that disqualification season is over. The High Court has heard and decided the cases of Rodney Culleton and Bob Day, barring both from taking up their seats in the Senate. The court has also refused an attempt by the Labor Party to disqualify Day's replacement, South Australia's new Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi.
When people think of a lawyer, they often have an image of someone who represents the rich and powerful. However, Australia has an army of lawyers who work on low wages to protect the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Many work for one of Australia's 190 non-profit community legal centres, which federal Attorney-General George Brandis announced will receive a 30 per cent funding cut from 1 July 2017.
Search pagination
Save articles for later.
Subscribe for unlimited access to news. Login to save articles.
Return to the homepage by clicking on the site logo.