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In its final report released yesterday, the royal commission investigating former gangland lawyer turned police informer Nicola Gobbo and the Victoria Police didn’t hold back its criticism.
Gobbo acted as an informant against her own clients for years before it was revealed publicly. According to the royal commission, more than 100 people within Victoria Police knew about Gobbo, but none raised concerns with the internal Ethical Standards Department or with an external oversight body.
It was a “systemic failure” that was caused, in part, by “a pervasive and negative cultural emphasis, led from the top down, on getting results”.
As Jude McCulloch and Michael Maguire write for The Conversation, the royal commission findings bring into sharp focus the broader issues of police accountability and police culture.
As they write, the system for investigating police misconduct, corruption and criminality in Victoria is hopelessly flawed, with 98% of such cases investigated by police themselves.
So, while it is encouraging the new chief commissioner of Victoria Police has said he will heed the recommendations, serious reforms will take time and concerted effort — similar to the measures undertaken in Northern Ireland following the “Troubles”.
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Justin Bergman
Deputy Editor: Politics + Society
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ABC730/YouTube
Jude McCulloch, Monash University; Michael Maguire, Monash University
The system for investigating police misconduct, corruption and criminality in Victoria is hopelessly flawed. A culture of integrity within police will take time to build.
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Iron ore mining, Pilbara Western Australia.
STRINGER Image/Shutterstock
Rod Tyers, University of Western Australia; Yixiao Zhou, Australian National University
The damage would extend well beyond iron ore.
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Clipping from Woman’s World, January, 1927. Bryant Scrapbook. Courtesy of John R. H. Bryant.
James Vicars, University of New England
Millicent Bryant made her first solo flight at the age of 49 in 1927. The life of this bold, unconventional woman was tragically cut short in a ferry disaster that same year.
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CSIRO
Aidan Hotan, CSIRO
Researchers have spotted millions of galaxies in the most detailed radio survey of the southern sky ever conducted. It has smashed previous records for survey speed.
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Shutterstock
Lara Herrero, Griffith University; Eugene Madzokere, Griffith University
It's not only shedding and reinfection which are different — there are actually two types of viral shedding.
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Shutterstock
Lisa Mundy, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
The middle years (between 8 and 14 years old) are a foundational period for development. But these years don't receive enough support from the education system.
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Environment + Energy
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Dylan McConnell, University of Melbourne
The states have been forced to act alone on renewable energy after the federal government effectively vacated the policy space. But if not managed carefully, the strategy may backfire.
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Daryl McPhee, Bond University
You're more likely to drown at a beach than be killed by a shark. But there are things people can do to reduce the already low risk even further.
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Cities
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Juan Francisco Salazar, Western Sydney University; Elizabeth Leane, University of Tasmania; Katie Marx, University of Tasmania; Liam Magee, Western Sydney University; Marina Khan, Western Sydney University; Paul James, Western Sydney University
'Antarctic cities' residents care deeply about the continent, with environmental concerns outweighing economic priorities. Asked about its future, they feel a mix of hope, pessimism and sadness.
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Education
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Mubashar Hasan, Western Sydney University
Academic freedom is under assault around the world. Academics and students are being killed, injured, detained and disappeared in a pattern of disturbing increases in state repression.
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Health + Medicine
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Olga Kokshagina, RMIT University; Babak Abbasi, RMIT University; Masih Fadaki, RMIT University; Naima Saeed, University of Agder; Prem Chhetri, RMIT University
We're on the road again. Getting enough COVID-19 vaccine to where it's needed in a given time frame is the next logistical hurdle.
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Science + Technology
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Steven Freeland, Western Sydney University; David Kuan-Wei Chen, McGill University; Ram S. Jakhu, McGill University
A change of government in the USA means less risk of 'space war' and more hope for peaceful cooperation.
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Business + Economy
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Fiona McGaughey, University of Western Australia; Holly Cullen, University of Western Australia; Rebecca Faugno, University of Western Australia
121 companies in Australia have delivered their first reports required by the Modern Slavery Act.
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Arts + Culture
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Huw Griffiths, University of Sydney
Actor Eryn Jean Norvill's portrayal of all the characters in The Portrait of Dorian Gray triumphantly illustrates Oscar Wilde's notion of the self as a form of performance.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
ADF Chief Angus Campbell has publicly retreated in the dispute over revoking the Meritorious Unit Citation for the Special Operations Task Group serving in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has demanded China apologise for – and Twitter remove – a highly offensive tweet depicting an Australian soldier with a knife to the throat of a child.
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Adrian Beaumont, University of Melbourne
Two-thirds of respondents in the last poll of the year said they were satisfied with Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s performance, a reflection of his handling of COVID-19.
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Grant Duncan, Massey University
In a major essay, senior Australian political correspondent Laura Tingle suggests her country could still learn from the New Zealand 'experiment'.
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