Mission & Justice

Richard Ackland; 29/8/08

Remember that clutch of outspoken and confident lawyers who in last year’s torture debates bravely came out for the freedom to torture? They seemed mostly to be from Melbourne. One was a professional loud mouth, whose name I’ve forgotten, and there was another fellow from one of the Victorian academic centres who also saw the value in an appropriate bit of torture. Extreme scenarios were posed. What if a detainee knew where the bomb was located that was timed to blow up Parliament House. Well, torture away until you got the answer. Dick Cheney helpfully chimed in, “It’s a no brainer”. The only trouble now is that it’s unlikely the torturees can even be tried for their alleged crimes. Their confessions are not worth the trouble, or as the judges say, “the evidence is unreliable”. Increasingly this is the truth facing the last spluttering moments of the Bush Administration.

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Nicola Berkovic; 29/8/08; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24259226-5013404,00.html

More than 50 organisations have stepped up pressure on the Rudd Government to begin consultation on human rights within three months and to ensure Australians from all walks of life are included in the process. The Uniting Church, Amnesty International, the Australian Lawyers Alliance and GetUp! are among the groups that have sent an open letter to Kevin Rudd urging him to kickstart the consultation process. The groups want discussion to begin by December 10, the 60th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Government has allocated $2.8million to cover the costs of a human rights consultation process. But it has not indicated when or in what form the consultation will occur. The letter urges the Government to commit to an “open and fair” process that gives all Australians an opportunity to participate. It also calls on the Government to appoint an independent panel comprising “people from different walks of life”.

Matthew Denholm; 29/8/08

The long battle over the proposed Tasmanian pulp mill may soon be over, with proponent Gunns unable to give an assurance that the controversial project will proceed. In a marked change of tone, the timber company last night told the Australian Securities Exchange that it was no longer certain that it could obtain sufficient finance or a joint venture partner. It also told the market it could not meet a deadline for the start of construction of November 30, set by the Tasmanian Government, after which it would lose a sovereign risk agreement and state support. “While the directors believe it is probable that the mill project will proceed to completion, the financing structure is yet to be finalised,” Gunns executive chairman John Gay said.

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Gary Banks; 29/8/08

Today there is a good-news story about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. But if the past is any guide, you may not get to read about it or see it on television. That is partly because it deals with a pretty dry topic, governance. But it’s also because the subject does not fit with the image of indigenous communities and organisations that most Australians have been led to believe is the norm. How do I know about this? Because it has been my privilege to be on the judging panel for the Indigenous Governance Awards sponsored by BHP Billiton and Reconciliation Australia. I must admit that I accepted Mick Dodson’s invitation to join the panel without high expectations. But the Productivity Commission’s research for the Council of Australian Governments on indigenous disadvantage had convinced me of the crucial importance of good governance, and the value of supporting a venture that seeks to promote it.

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28/8/08

The apology to indigenous people and new efforts to close the nation’s yawning health gap have won Australia praise in a major international report which aims to redesign world health. The WHO report has highlighted Australia’s poorest health statistic - the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal men and other males - while at the same time giving a global endorsement to new initiatives under federal Labor. The top-level commission praised the February apology to the stolen generation as a good example of a government “recognising the unique history of colonisation on indigenous peoples and the need for special measures”.

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Justine Ferrari; 29/8/08

Leading indigenous education expert Chris Sarra called on teachers to embrace federal government plans to hold schools accountable for their students’ performance, describing it as long overdue. Dr Sarra, executive director of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, said it was only right that tough questions were being asked of teachers and schools. “It’s right that we’re being asked some hard questions about performance, and it’s right we’re being made to feel uncomfortable,” he said.  “Frankly, there’s nothing to be comfortable about.”  In a speech on Wednesday, Kevin Rudd outlined plans requiring individual schools to report within three years, comparing their performances with similar groups of schools and revealing student progress or the value schools have added. The plans also include extra funding agreements to reward excellent teaching and to assist struggling schools, with an extra $500,000 for an average-sized school.

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29/8/08

Most Australians would support clinical trials of cannabis for medical use, a new survey has found. More than 23,000 people over the age of 12 were quizzed about their personal use and attitudes to drugs for the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Almost 50 per cent of respondents said they would support regulated heroin injecting rooms. The nationwide survey found overwhelming support for legalising cannabis for medical reasons, backed by nearly 70 per cent, while approval of clinical trials for cannabis approached 75 per cent.

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29/8/08

Australia’s citizenship test set-up by the Howard government is set for a major overhaul after a review found it to be flawed and discriminatory. Richard Woolcott is the head of a committee commissioned to review the test said the 2006-document needs reform, News Ltd reports. The committee is believed to have forwarded its opinion to Immigration Minister Chris Evans in a report. The standout recommendation would be that the present test is flawed and seen by some as intimidatory and needs substantial reform,” Mr Woolcott told News Ltd.

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29/8/08

Former immigration minister Kevin Andrews acted against official advice not to issue a criminal justice visa to Mohamed Haneef, documents show. The documents, obtained by Dr Haneef’s legal team under Freedom of Information laws, show Mr Andrews acted against advice from his own department, issued days after the doctor’s visa was revoked on character grounds. A senior immigration official had warned that the issue of a criminal justice visa - allowing the recipient to remain in the community until the criminal matter is finalised - could be inconsistent with the decision to cancel the Indian doctor’s work visa.

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Matthew Franklin; 29/8/08

The man who made his fortune singing about his distaste for uranium mining yesterday gave his personal approval for the expansion of South Australia’s Beverley uranium mine. Peter Garrett, previously the lead singer with Australian band Midnight Oil, yesterday completed his transition from activist to pragmatic establishment politician by ticking off Heathgate Resources’ expansion plans in his role as the Rudd Government’s Environment Minister. Mr Garrett, who was also a founding member of the Nuclear Disarmament Party, said he was satisfied the rigorous scientific process had been conducted to examine the proposal and that he had imposed conditions requiring the company to monitor the effects of its operation on ground water.

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