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Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has a very difficult job ahead of him – trying to turn Anthony Albanese’s promise of action against “hate speech” into law.
As Michelle Grattan writes today, one of the drivers for this legislation has been the surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia in Australia that has accompanied the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
But many questions remain: Is the legislation necessary? Is it desirable? How practical is it? Is it worth the potentially divisive debate it will bring?
In political terms, Grattan says, the attempt to pass a hate speech law that appeases everyone could get bogged down in arguments on multiple fronts – and leave the public thinking the “government had, once again, got itself into a cul-de-sac”.
And as Israel continues its push into Rafah, war crimes experts Paul Taucher and Dean Aszkielowicz ask whether the International Court of Justice’s order last week to halt the operation will have any effect.
The authors say because the court lacks enforcement power, nations can (and do) ignore its orders, bringing the court’s credibility into question.
Ultimately, they argue, what the conflict in Gaza has demonstrated is that no court has the capacity on its own to effectively protect civilians during times of war. What is needed is pressure from the major powers to get the two sides to agree to a ceasefire – something that has thus far proven to be elusive.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The government is embarking on a fraught journey – trying to turn the PM’s promise of action against hate speech into law.
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Paul Taucher, Murdoch University; Dean Aszkielowicz, Murdoch University
No court alone has the power to adequately protect civilians during times of war.
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Timothy Welch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Anna Matheson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Craig Elliffe, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Dennis Wesselbaum, University of Otago; Hiran Thabrew, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Julia Talbot-Jones, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Mark Barrow, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Finance minister Nicola Willis made good on two promises with her first budget – tax cuts and no surprises. But the belt tightening required to do that will have longer-term consequences.
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Naomi Langmore, Australian National University; Alicia Grealy, CSIRO; Clare Holleley, CSIRO; Iliana Medina, The University of Melbourne
New research on cuckoos suggests the battle between exploiters and victims may be a key reason for life’s enormous diversity.
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Lauren Gurrieri, RMIT University; Suzie Gibson, Charles Sturt University
Barbies have historically been associated with the promotion of harmful gendered norms and stereotypes. Is Mattel seeking redemption?
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Jennifer Koplin, The University of Queensland; Desalegn Markos Shifti, The University of Queensland
Beyond Australia, childhood food allergies seem to be on the rise around the world. Here’s where the research is up to.
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Armin Langer, University of Florida
Laïcité, which historically upheld individual freedom, denies minority rights today, as seen in the ban on French athletes wearing hijabs at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Eve Vincent, Macquarie University; Rose Butler, Deakin University
What happens when people form romantic relationships across class? Eve Vincent and Rose Butler interviewed 38 people to find out. Their candid answers are revealing.
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Mahima Kalla, The University of Melbourne
For more than three decades, Jane Goodall has inspired generations of conservationists through her youth-led action program Roots & Shoots. Now it’s time to take this approach into schools.
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Kristen Sobeck, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
The promising reform is called an ‘allowance for corporate equity’. It would only tax returns above a reasonable rate of return.
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Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS, University of London
The sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, has also sparked much speculation about the identity of the country’s next supreme leader.
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Politics + Society
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Robert Freestone, UNSW Sydney; Bob Webb, Australian National University
Two recent research documents provide a substantial basis for assessing how the draft policy shapes up and identifying where it falls down.
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Carla Pascoe Leahy, University of Tasmania
Women and gender-diverse people bear the brunt of climate change’s negative affects. If Australia wants to be taken seriously on climate action, this needs addressing.
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Health + Medicine
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Nenad Naumovski, University of Canberra; Amanda Bulman, University of Canberra; Andrew McKune, University of Canberra
Hint: the most common type actually works.
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Cher McGillivray, Bond University; Shawna Mastro Campbell, Bond University
Children can have big emotions and sometimes struggle to process them. Here’s what it means for a child to be ‘dysregulated’.
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Science + Technology
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Martin Jucker, UNSW Sydney
Our new research predicts how Hunga Tonga’s vast underwater eruption in 2022 will change winters worldwide for years to come – as far away as Australia, North America and even Scandinavia.
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Environment + Energy
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Jacquie Rand, The University of Queensland; Rebekah Scotney, The University of Queensland; Tamsin Barnes, The University of Queensland
Traditional methods based on trap, adopt or euthanise have failed to control cat numbers. An eight-year trial of a more supportive community cat desexing program has been a resounding success.
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Arts + Culture
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Sarah Austin, The University of Melbourne
The work highlights that there may be no singular perspective on what is right and wrong in this rather complex and nuanced world.
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