Family violence
This Inquiry looked at the complex interaction between state and territory family and domestic violence and child protection laws and the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). The ALRC was to consider what, if any, improvements could be made to relevant legal frameworks to protect the safety of women and children.
Inquiries
Read moreReform journal
The Australian Law Reform Commission published the first issue of Reform in January 1976, and then twice a year until 2010. The journal’s aim was to raise public awareness of contemporary legal issues and provides a forum for high-quality debate on issues of law reform in an easy-to-read format. Previous articles contributed by leading Australian …
Publications
Read moreTerms of Reference
The 2009 report of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, Time for Action, acknowledged the complex interaction between State and Territory family/domestic violence and child protection laws and the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). The National Council also stressed the importance of consistent interpretation and application of laws relating to …
Inquiries
Read moreALRC revisits the legal rights of children and young people in Australia
It is now a little over ten years since the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (now the Australian Human Rights Commission) released the landmark 1997 report Seen and Heard: Priority for Children in the Legal Process (ALRC Report 84). Seen and Heard represented the culmination of a …
News/Media Release
Read moreMedia Briefing – Children, young people and privacy
11 August 2008Do the technologically savvy, confident and optimistic members of Generation Y have radically different attitudes to privacy from their Baby Boomer parents and their grandparents? ALRC President, Professor David Weisbrot, stated that, “During our Inquiry, we used a number of strategies to obtain the views of children and young people—for example, we conducted …
News/Media Release
Read moreSubmission to NSW Legislative Council on the publication of names of children involved in criminal proceedings
12 December 2007: The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) makes the following submission to the NSW Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice in relation to the prohibition on the publication of names of children involved in criminal proceedings.In making this submission, the ALRC draws on its experience from current and past inquiries. In …
Publications
Read morePrivacy law and practice
This 28-month inquiry looked at the extent to which the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and related laws continue to provide an effective framework for the protection of privacy in Australia. It resulted in the Final Report, For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and Practice (ALRC Report 108).During the ALRC’s extensive consultations around the country, the …
Inquiries
Read moreUniform Evidence Law
In July 2004, the Attorney-General of Australia asked the ALRC to examine the operation of the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth).The legislation is based on a uniform Evidence Act scheme, which was the product of a previous ALRC inquiry. At the time of the commencement of this latest Evidence inquiry, the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Tasmania, …
Inquiries
Read moreSeen and heard: priority for children in the legal process (ALRC Report 84)
ALRC Report 84 was tabled on 19 November 1997. The report calls for widespread reform to Australia’s child protection, education and legal systems to ensure children’s appropriate participation in decision making concerning them.ALRC 84 provides extensive evidence of the problems and neglect of children who come into contact with federal and State legal processes. It …
Publications
Read moreChildren in the legal process
This inquiry into the way children and young people are treated by the legal system and legal processes began on 28 August 1995. This was a joint inquiry conducted by the ALRC in conjunction with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC).Seen and heard: priority for children in the legal process (ALRC Report 84) …
Inquiries
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