News and Media

Media release

For media queries, please contact comms@alrc.gov.au.

12.12.2006

Timely focus on credit laws

Tuesday, 12 December 2006: As many people rely on credit to help them through the festive season, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today launched an Issues Paper calling for public comment on Australia ’s credit reporting system. ALRC President Prof David Weisbrot said the credit reporting provisions of the Commonwealth Privacy Act were overly

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30.11.2006

Lawyer–client relationships put under ALRC microscope

Thursday, 30 November 2006: The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) says its new review of legal professional privilege could have a major impact on the way clients and lawyers will interact in future. The ALRC inquiry will concentrate on the application of legal professional privilege to the coercive information gathering powers of Commonwealth bodies—such as

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09.10.2006

Computers, biometrics and Gen Y: Is privacy passé?

Monday 9 October 2006:  Do Australians feel that their privacy is adequately protected? Is it possible for privacy laws to keep up with technology such as data matching, facial recognition and even body odour measurement? Do younger people care as much about privacy as their elders? These are some of the questions being asked by

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13.09.2006

Support for anti-violence measures, not ‘sedition’

13 September 2006: Media commentators, satirists, artists and activists should be safe from controversial sedition laws—even if their ideas are unpopular and confronting—as long as they don’t urge the use of violence, under changes to federal law proposed by the Australian Law Reform Commission. The ALRC report, Fighting Words: A Review of Sedition Laws in

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22.06.2006

‘Same crime, same time’: ALRC calls for consistency in federal sentencing

Thursday, 22 June 2006: Australia ’s system for sentencing federal offenders should be significantly overhauled to provide greater consistency, fairness and clarity, according to a major report by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) tabled today in federal Parliament. ALRC President Professor David Weisbrot said there is compelling evidence of inconsistent treatment of federal offenders,

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05.06.2006

Telemarketing, information privacy top community concerns

Monday, 5 June 2006: Three out of four callers to a National Phone-in have nominated unsolicited telemarketing as their number one privacy complaint, said the ALRC. About 1,300 people took part in the two-day phone-in last week to share their views, concerns and experiences of privacy protection. “An overwhelming majority of callers were unhappy with

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02.06.2006

Telemarketing heads list of privacy concerns

Friday, 2 June 2006: Telemarketers who intrude into home life was the most common privacy grievance raised by callers on the first day of a National Privacy Phone-In, said the Australian Law Reform Commission. Almost 75% of callers raised concerns about the volume and persistence of unsolicited calls they received from telemarketers, said ALRC President

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30.05.2006

National phone-in to probe privacy pitfalls

Tuesday, 30 May 2006: Sick of the telemarketer’s call just as dinner is about to be served? Wondering how advertisers got hold of your name and address? Concerned that electronic links might make sensitive health information more vulnerable? Bewildered about an apparent negative credit rating? Annoyed to find a stranger taking photos of you sunbaking

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29.05.2006

‘Sedition’ should go, focus on urging violence

Monday, 29 May 2006: The term ‘sedition’ should be removed from the federal statute book, and offences urging force or violence against the government or community groups should be redrafted, the Australian Law Reform Commission said today. Releasing a Discussion Paper (DP 71) on federal sedition laws, ALRC President Professor David Weisbrot said the proposals

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10.04.2006

International law reformers ‘peering over the horizon’

Monday, 10 April 2006: What will our legal and regulatory systems need to do to manage the rapid advances in the sciences and in information technology? How will those societies facing an HIV/AIDS crisis cope when almost an entire generation is wiped out by the epidemic? What should be the regional and international response if

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