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

Healing: A Legacy of Generations

The Report of the Inquiry into the Federal Government's Implementation of Recommendations Made by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in Bringing Them Home

Women, Legal Aid and Social Inclusion

This article examines access to legal aid for women in light of the Australian government’s social inclusion agenda. It is notable that the government’s image of social citizenship does not include the ability to invoke and enforce legal rights, and that discourses of social exclusion have paid relatively little attention to gendered patterns of exclusion. The article reports on a study of applications for and refusals of legal aid for family law, domestic violence and anti?discrimination matters by socially excluded women in Queensland. It demonstrates the variety of ways in which Legal Aid Queensland’s grants process operated to further exclude and marginalise these women. It argues that effective access to legal aid is an important element of social inclusion, but that this goal cannot be achieved by reliance on the tools of New Public Management