'Warning! Graphic content ahead': advocating for graphic video in the teaching of animal law

The educational benefits associated with the use of video in learning environments are well-known. For an animal law educator wanting to leverage these educational benefits, the use of video presents a dilemma. Much of the video relevant to animal law is confronting, distressing or difficult to watch, which may cause some students to experience a negative affective state. It is also largely unknown whether the educational benefits associated with non-graphic video continue to apply when the content is graphic in nature. This article aims to address this gap. It argues that student engagement, comprehension and knowledge acquisition, critical thinking skills, information retention and recall, and student interest can be improved with the use of graphic video. It also argues that educators have a role in shaping students’ values and opinions, and graphic video can help in this regard. To reduce the likelihood of students experiencing a negative affective state, five principles are presented which educators may employ when using graphic video. These five principles are then applied to a YouTube video depicting the surgical castration and tail docking of a piglet. By employing these principles, the risks associated with graphic video can be effectively managed while leveraging the educational benefits of video

Submission to NSW Government on Greyhound Racing Act 2017 Statutory Review

Important regulatory measures have been introduced in the Greyhound Racing Act 2017 (‘the Act’) to better regulate greyhound racing in New South Wales (‘NSW’). However, further improvements are required to ensure that the regulation of greyhound racing in NSW remains responsive and permeable to the public’s attitudes and expectations regarding the activities of Greyhound Racing New South Wales (‘GRNSW’). The following submission outlines a series of recommendations which will help ensure that the activities of GRNSW align with the NSW public’s attitudes and expectations of how greyhound racing is conducted in the State. As such, this submission employs a meta-regulatory approach to outcome-orientated measures

Limitations of the market-based approach to the regulation of farm animal welfare

This article challenges the conventional wisdom that Australian consumers who are concerned about the care and treatment of farm animals are able to reflect these values through their purchasing behaviour. This is due to interference by market, political and social considerations that disrupt the transmission of animal welfare values into purchasing behaviour. For this reason, the regulation of farm animal welfare cannot be left to the market-based approach. Instead, government regulatory intervention is required in accordance with public interest theories of regulation

Is the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child doing enough to protect the rights of LGBT children and children with same-sex parents?

Children often face discrimination, bullying and even violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, as do children raised by parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). This article considers what the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is doing to protect the rights of LGBT children and children with LGBT parents. To make such an assessment, this article critically analyses the Committee’s Concluding Observations over a ten-year period, its General Comments and its Views on Individual Communications. The conclusion reached is that while the Committee has made encouraging progress in recent years when it comes to addressing LGBT related issues, there is still room for improvement in the way the Committee seeks to protect children from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

Teaching technology into the law curriculum

The role technology plays in the legal profession is growing. It is, therefore, incumbent on legal educators to prepare law students for a profession that leverages current and emerging technologies, while mitigating potential risks. A desktop analysis was performed on all technology-focused courses offered at Australian and New Zealand law schools and at the top five universities in the United States of America and the United Kingdom to identify common themes and characteristics. The authors then share their experiences teaching a technology-focused course at a small regional university. The aim of this article is to stimulate greater discussion about how universities teach technology into the law curriculum, not whether such a course is needed

Justice at the edge: Hearing the sound of silence

This article examines a novel emerging trend in the access to justice movement. This latest trend is best seen as a counter-wave — or rip current — that seeks to incorporate knowledge and experience found at the periphery of the legal system in order to advance the theory and practice that underpins access to justice. Drawing on recent legal developments pioneered in Aotearoa/New Zealand that grant personhood status to natural objects, we report on the Māori world view that treats natural objects in much the same way as respected family members. This new perspective is indicative of the counter-wave in action and illustrates how legal principles derived from the periphery — in this case rooted in the First Law of the Māori people — are being recognised and incorporated into the mainstream legal system, holding the potential to advance access to justice for First Nations peoples whilst also bringing other benefits to the wider society. Focusing primarily on Australia, Brazil and Canada, our aim is to highlight common signs of receptivity for granting natural objects personhood status, and to show how this converging trend could enrich both the quality and accessibility of justice in these and other jurisdictions

Australian regulation of animal use in science and education: a critical appraisal

One of the touchstone principles in Australia's regulation of the use of animals for scientific and educational purposes is reduction, refinement and replacement (3Rs). However, the use of animals for scientific and educational purposes is increasing in Australia, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework in achieving the objectives of the 3Rs. This article critically evaluates the current regulatory framework in Australia. Several strengths are identified. However, 4 recommendations to improve the regulatory environment are proposed to bring Australia in line with international best practice. Specifically, Australian regulation governing the use of animals for scientific or educational purposes could be improved through greater transparency, higher standards of competency, the development of a central regulatory authority, and greater incentives to encourage research and development into nonanimal alternatives