Media owners steer government away from reform in the public interest
Sep 15, 2016 01:53 am UTC| Law
The Turnbull governments media bill has been sent off to another Senate inquiry, despite protestations from the government and the industry over the need to pass it urgently. Communications Minister Mitch Fifields...
Social Media Revolution Series
Social media and defamation law pose threats to free speech, and it's time for reform
Sep 15, 2016 00:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Recent discussion about freedom of speech in Australia has focused almost exclusively on Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. For some politicians and commentators, 18C is the greatest challenge to freedom of...
Gay Liberal senator denounces marriage plebiscite
Sep 13, 2016 06:54 am UTC| Law Politics
The governments proposed marriage plebiscite has been delivered a fresh blow with openly gay Liberal senator Dean Smith declaring he will not vote for it. Smith described the plebiscite as abhorrent and told Fairfax...
U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Review Controversial Colorado Sales Tax Law
Sep 09, 2016 16:32 pm UTC| Law
DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to overturn a Colorado law that Direct Marketing Association (DMA) says places undue burden on out-of-state retailers, on August 29, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked...
Pharmacists may accept re-dispensing medication, but will patients?
Sep 09, 2016 10:25 am UTC| Insights & Views Health Law
Not a week goes by without a financial crisis in the NHS making the headlines. Cutbacks and closures are a constant threat as money runs dry for trusts and health boards across the country. The need for cash is reaching a...
The US has banned antibacterial handwashes – here's why Australia should too
Sep 08, 2016 07:49 am UTC| Law
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week ruled to disallow the use of the more than a dozen antibacterial compounds in so-called antibacterial handwashes. Australias regulator is now assessing whether...
Banning foreign political donations: will Labor's proposals fix the system?
Sep 07, 2016 10:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Politics
Labor senator Sam Dastyari has been embroiled in an ongoing saga over a Chinese company having paid for his travel expenses. This has led to questions about his support for China in the South China Sea dispute in defiance...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects