Migration amendment strengthening biometrics integrity bill 2015

This bill covers the introduction of a single, broad power for collecting personal identifiers, and the collection of biometric information from minors, \u27incapable\u27 persons and asylum seekers

Ability of Australian law enforcement authorities to eliminate gun-related violence in the community

Examines gun laws and gun related violence in Australia. Clarification of the purpose of this inquiry In response to this inquiry, the committee received over 400 submissions, many of which were concerned about the impact the inquiry might have on the ownership and use of firearms.   It is important to clarify from the outset that the main focus of this inquiry was on illicit firearms in Australia. While some of the terms of reference refer to regulation of registered firearms that are legally held, this is in the context of ensuring that these are not diverted to the illicit market. The committee appreciates that the majority of firearm owners comply with the  relevant legislation and acknowledges the work of the various firearms organisations in promoting the safe use and storage of firearms. The committee also recognises the number of Australians who participate in the sport of shooting.   The committee would also like to clarify the terminology used throughout this inquiry. As noted by the Attorney-General\u27s Department (AGD) in its submission, firearms and firearm-related articles are not in themselves either legal or illegal. &nbsp

Comprehensive revision of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979

This inquiry, coinciding with the inquiry into mandatory data retention, examined the need for comprehensive reform of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 in light of changes in technology as well as privacy concerns. The referral On 12 December 2013, the Senate referred the following matter to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 10 June 2014: Comprehensive revision of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (the TIA Act), with regard to: a) the recommendations of the Australian Law Reform Commission For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and Practice report, dated May 2008, particularly recommendation; and b) recommendations relating to the Act from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security Inquiry into the potential reforms of Australia’s National Securit y Legislation report, dated May 2013. Overview The committee\u27s inquiry has spanned 15 months. During that time, the committee received much evidence highlighting the need for urgent and comprehensive reform of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act) including substantial comment on the matter of mandatory data retention. During the later stages of the committee\u27s inquiry, the government announced that it would be introducing a mandatory telecommunications data retention regime. Although the issues of comprehensive reform of the TIA Act and mandatory data retention are not mutually exclusive, to the extent possible, they have been considered separately to ensure that adequate consideration is given to both matters. This majority consensus report details the need for reform of the existing TIA Act. Separate additional remarks on the matters of data access and data retention are provided by the committee Chair, the government members of the committee and the opposition members of the committee

The politics of prisoner legal rights

The article begins by locating human rights law within the current political context before moving on to critically review judicial reasoning on prisoner legal rights since the introduction of the Human Rights Act 1998. The limited influence of proportionality on legal discourses in England and Wales is then explored by contrasting a number of judgments since October 2000 in the domestic courts and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the restricted interpretation of legal rights for penal reform and proposes an alternative radical rearticulation of the politics of prisoner human rights

‘It’s every breath we take here’: Political astuteness and ethics in civil service leadership development

This paper uses survey and interview research with senior civil servants to argue that leadership with political astuteness is a specific contextual requirement for public servants who work closely with politicians. Also important are technical skills, judgement and a sharp sense of ethics and integrity. The ‘fine balance’ of political astuteness and other capabilities are shown in a framework about leading in an ethical way. Implications for the development of civil servants are considered

Exploring the Impact of Mental Capacity on Breast Screening for Women with Intellectual Disabilities

This study explores the impact of mental capacity in relation to breast screening for women with intellectual disabilities (ID) in the UK. Participation in breast screening is considerably lower for women with ID compared to the general population. Barriers to screening include poor mobility and behavioural difficulties. There is currently no research which primarily explores the relationship between mental capacity and breast screening for this group of individuals. This paper presents the results of a cross sectional survey of 131 women with ID supported by eight Social Care Providers within England and Wales. The data was collected between January 2017 and July 2017. The current research explores the decision-making process surrounding breast screening, considering the impact of associated risk factors during this process. Participants completed a specifically created survey addressing the aforementioned issues. The results indicated that women who lacked capacity, were less likely to engage in breast screening. It was also demonstrated that the process outlined in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) (2005) was not always followed; women were not routinely assessed if there were doubts regarding their decision-making ability around breast screening and best interest meetings (BIM) were not always held if the person lacked capacity. In order to be able to generalise the current findings, further research is needed to gain a broader understanding of how professionals make decisions surrounding breast screening for women with ID if the individuals are unable to decide this independently

The prisoner's right to vote and civic responsibility: Reaffirming the social contract?

Copyright © 2009 NAPOThis article considers the issue of the prisoner’s right to vote in the light of recent developments in law and policy. It critically reviews the purported justifications for disenfranchisement and argues that re-enfranchisement should be pursued on the grounds of both principle and policy

The effects of training on the ability of adults with an intellectual disability to give informed consent to medication

BACKGROUND: This study had two aims: to investigate the capacity of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) to make decisions about their medications, and to evaluate whether the provision of training (information) sessions on medications would increase their capacity. METHOD: Twenty-eight adults (18 male and 10 female), with a mild to moderate ID were included in this study and they were taking either Epilim, Metformin or Haloperidol medications. The participants were split into groups that comprised of participants taking the same medications. Each of the groups received three training sessions on their own medications. Capacity to consent was measured by the Adapted - Assessment of Capacity Questionnaire (A-ACQ), which was specially adapted for each medication type from the original measure (ACQ). Receptive language ability was measured by the British Picture Vocabulary Scale-II (BPVS-II). RESULTS: A two-factor mixed anova analysis indicated that the provision of training had improved the capacity of the participants to give informed consent to taking their medications. Analysis using Pearson's correlations indicated that increased levels of receptive language ability correlated with greater ability to give informed consent to taking medication. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of information that is formatted in a way that individuals with ID can understand may be a useful way to increase knowledge on medications. Further research that investigates the provision of information with larger samples is warranted

End-of-life decision-making for people with intellectual disability from the perspective of nurses

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