Law
More Political Competition
According to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, increasing competition among supermarket giants will help deliver lower grocery prices: "If it is more competitive, more transparent and people are getting a fair go, better outcomes will be seen at the supermarket checkout". The ACCC also notes that competition encourages innovation. But where enhanced market competition can lead to improved consumer outcomes, enhanced political competition...
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...
Another Round of the Circus
Reproduced with permission from The BFD https://thebfd.co.nz/2024/04/16/another-round-of-the-circus/ Another day, another court case, and the scandal that just keeps on giving… keeps on giving. Justice Michael Lee has handed down his verdict in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation suit against Channel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson — and what a curious judgement it is. On the one hand, Lee states what has been obvious from...
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...
