Black Lives Matter webinar

Larissa Behrendt, Amy McQuire, Alison Whittaker, George Newhouse, Eddie Cubillo and Amanda Porter.

16 July 2020

Do black lives matter in the Australian legal system?  MLS hosted a panel discussion exploring  ‘justice’ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

Black Lives Matter and #defundpolice protests are building momentum in Australia and internationally. Close to 30 years since the publication of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, many of the recommendations are yet to be implemented by state, territory and commonwealth government.

There have been over 432 deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders since the publication of the Royal Commission, no convictions and very little by way of accountability. Faced with this apparent lack of police accountability, what are the implications for the idea of the rule of law in Australia? What is the way forward in preventing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody.

On Thursday 16 July, Melbourne Law School hosted a panel discussion discussing these questions and more and featuring Larissa Behrendt, Amy McQuire, Alison Whittaker, George Newhouse, Eddie Cubillo and Amanda Porter.