Law
Carpet Call: The Imperfect Gift of Religious Freedom
John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) is a clever guy. As Robert McCall (aka Denzel Washington) says in the movie Equalizer 2 to Miles, a troubled teenager: ‘It takes talent to make money, Miles, but it takes brains to keep it’. Regardless of one’s taste in music, there’s no doubting John Lydon had talent – and brains. ‘Imperfection is...
The Coming Populist Revolt
Populism occurs when the masses revolt against the elites’ view of the world. Elite opinion does not often deal directly with popular opinion, that is, with the people who have to pay for elite opinion. When elites get it wrong, the masses revolt through the ballot; the Voice referendum being a good example. The question is, when is the...
Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
For those of us who still occasionally like to check in on what the mainstream media is doing, there has been a topic that has got chins wagging and jowls flapping lately: “the tobacco wars”. While the mainstream media, in typical fashion, has sensationalised the story, it is true that black and grey market tobacco is abundant in the community. BLACK,...
Does Australia Need a Bill of Rights?
Does Australia need a Bill of Rights? After all, Australia is, it surprises many to learn, the only Western democracy with neither a constitutional nor legislated Bill of Rights. Various attempts over the years to legislate one have failed. The closest Australia ever got to a Constitutional free speech right was in 1992, when the High Court ruled that the...
UAE Facilitating Australian Crime?
A recent article in the Age (https://www.theage.com.au/national/australian-drug-smuggling-suspects-right-at-home-as-dubai-makes-world-s-worst-welcome-20240514-p5jdg7.html) argues that authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are immoral for not preventing Australia’s most revered mega criminals from visiting and buying property there. According to the Age, we should all be outraged that the UAE is not doing the job Australian law enforcement is failing to do. But apparently it is...
The Best Lack All Conviction
Anti-Semitism is on the march because no-one in authority will stand up to it. It’s common for historians to portray the Sturmabteilung, the SA or “Brownshirts” as they were known, as a motley crew of rowdy young thugs looking to brawl. The reality, as detailed in Daniel Siemens’ Stormtroopers: A New History of Hitler’s Brownshirts, was far more concerning. In...
None So Intolerant as the Tolerant
The Victorian Bar – you remember them – was a big advocate for the Yes side in the referendum. Fifty-seven per cent of the Victorian Bar considered the constitutional amendment ‘sound, appropriate, and compatible with Australia’s system of representative and responsible government’. Such ignorance could only come from a highly woke and politicised Bar. Fortunately, Victorians voted 54 per...
Reassessing Australian Judges’ Role in Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (Part 2)
IntroductionIn the previous part, I discussed the historical background and recent political developments in Hong Kong that have raised concerns about the role of Australian judges in Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal. This part will examine specific cases involving Australian judges to assess their contributions and the extent to which they have challenged the infringement of human rights...
Reassessing Australian Judges’ Role in Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (Part 1)
Historical BackgroundAs an Australian legal practitioner with Hong Kong roots, I am compelled to address a critical issue: the participation of retired Australian judges in Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal. Historically, overseas judges were included in Hong Kong's judiciary to uphold judicial independence under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle established during the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from...
Why You Should Oppose the Government’s Attempt to Censor the Sydney Church Stabbing Video
If you have been following the issue of freedom of expression in Australia, you will be aware of the efforts of the government to censor the Sydney church stabbing video on X (but not mainstream media websites) via a court order. The court order has since been overturned although what will happen next is still uncertain. It is not unusual...
