With the retirement of Chief Justice Susan Kiefel and Justice Patrick Keane in the next parliamentary term, there is an opportunity to make the High Court more diverse.
Scott Morrison has won, in a Friday decision by the High Court, his long running battle over NSW Liberal party preselections, clearing the way for him to call the election.
The High Court has thwarted a potential defence for the NT constable accused of shooting and killing Kumunjayi Walker in 2019 – that he was acting in ‘good faith’ as an officer at the time.
The court found the university was unjustified in censuring the academic for initial conduct that was protected as an exercise in intellectual freedom. But his response to disciplinary action wasn’t.
Advocacy groups play a crucial and neglected role in revealing systemic animal mistreatment. We need to make their actions unnecessary by with better transparency in the industries.
The appointment of judges has hitherto been an obscure and oftentimes clandestine affair. This has produced incompetent judges and led to claims that the judiciary is beholden to the executive.
Palmer has lost his challenge to the closure of the Western Australian border in response to COVID-19. But it still remains unclear whether the border closure was and remains valid.
While our judges may prefer their anonymity, the process for choosing who sits on the highest court must be more transparent. Our system is beginning to look outdated.
Hotelier Julian Gerner’s challenge to the lockdown depends on whether ‘freedom of movement’ is an implied right in the Constitution. The High Court has never seen it that way.
Murray Wesson, The University of Western Australia; Ian Murray, The University of Western Australia; John Southalan, University of Dundee; Julie Falck, The University of Western Australia; Natalie Brown, The University of Western Australia et Sarah Murray, The University of Western Australia
The legislation designed to stop Palmer claiming huge damages against WA raises a host of questions.
It would be extremely controversial for the High Court to invalidate border closures imposed by a state government if there’s a reasonable health justification for the measure.