JUSTICE with Jon Faine
How just are Australia’s laws? Researchers at Melbourne Law School delve into every aspect of justice to assess how it is fairing in this podcast series hosted by former ABC radio journalist Jon Faine.
Episode #12 // The brave new world of work: AI is coming for your job, just not the way you expect
Artificial intelligence can be used as surveillance in the workplace, dislikes older workers and their resumes, and can be as biased against women and LGBTQI+ people as any human employer. Professor Alysia Blackham talks us through the new world of work.
Episode #11 // Slow femicide: when a women kills herself after years of relationship violence, should her partner be charged with a crime?
This episode contains material some people might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.
Slow femicide: when a woman kills herself after years of relationship violence, should her partner be charged with a crime? Professor Heather Douglas tells us of English cases where the man has been jailed for manslaughter.
Episode #10 // Memory Wars: Should victims have their rape cases dropped because they have had therapy?
This episode contains material some people might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.
EMDR, a form of therapy now used for many people with a history of trauma, has been targeted by the legal system as possibly contaminating a victim’s memory. Dozens of women have had their rape allegations dropped as a result. Anthony Hurst, psychologist with Melbourne University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, explains how the therapy works. Professor Jeremy Gans, of Melbourne Law School, explains the concerns of criminal prosecutors.
Episode #9 // How do we talk to our kids about climate change?
Children are hearing about climate change at school and on the news, and rural kids are noticing its changes in their local environments. But how do we have honest conversations with kids about climate change without adding to their increasing climate anxiety? To explain, we are joined by Melbourne Law School's Dr Lily O'Neil and Dr Linden Ashcroft from the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Melbourne.
Episode #8 // Keeping the bastards honest: Deborah Glass OBE examines the independence of our 'independent' integrity agencies
Each State and territory has ‘independent’ agencies that are meant to keep governments accountable. But how independent are they really? Deborah Glass OBE, former Victorian Ombudsman and now honorary fellow at Melbourne Law School, has new research on the question.
Episode #7 // Immigration scammers run riot on Chinese social media
False scare campaigns and scams are common on Chinese-language media and social media in Australia, particularly targeting people who are anxious about their residency status. Who is behind it, and what can be done to protect our Chinese-language community?
Episode #6 // Australia has become a defamation hotspot. Are our politicians, whose own attacks in parliament are protected by privelege, overdoing it?
In this episode, Associate Professor Jason Bosland explains what defamation is and why politicians sue over it, updates to Australian defamation law, and why some deserve to succeed in their court cases.
Episode #5 // The issue of Aboriginal sovereignty can be heard by the High Court, new research has found. Could this be the next Mabo?
It has long been a legal truism that the High Court does not have the power to rule on issues of Aboriginal sovereignty, or the right to self-govern. But this idea is based on a legal misunderstanding, argues Associate Professor Olivia Barr.
Episode #4 // Should doctors be able to refuse care if it offends their conscience?
This episode contains material some people might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.
Should doctors be obliged provide all services that are ethically approved by their colleges and legal under the law, or should they have the right to refuse terminations, assisted dying or any other forms of care on the basis of personal conscience?
Episode #3 // Should renters have to supply a CV for their cat? And other data invastions by real estate agents
New apps make it all too easy for real estate agents to collect intimate information from people applying to rent homes. Ever been asked for your marriage certificate? Or to do a personality quiz? Lina Przhedetsky on the privacy pitfalls.
Episode #2 // Big Brother in the consulting room: should doctors tell patients when they are using AI to record them?
AI is now listening in in the doctor’s clinic, with products known as ‘AI scribes’ increasingly being used to draft patients’ medical records. This might save doctors time and reduce burnout. But what are the legal implications of this new practice? Are regulators doing enough to make sure AI scribes are safe and fit for purpose?
Episode #1 // Is Trump subverting American democracy? Will the Constitution get in his way?
President Trump started the war on Iran without Congressional approval and reissued tariffs after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Some of his political strategists are floating plans to control who can vote in future elections. Is any of this legal? Constitutional Law expert Professor Will Partlett explains.
Episode #10 // One third of all young workers report being ripped off at work
More than a third of 2800 young Australian workers surveyed reported having been ripped off by employers, according to a new study by Professor John Howe, of Melbourne Law School. They have been underpaid, not paid, forced to pay for equipment or clothing…. What remedies are available, and what reform is needed?
Episode #9 // Lawyers aren't happy: a new look at lawyer wellbeing, workplace experiences, and professional ethics
Half of lawyers surveyed say they endure a poor workplace culture, and their discontent fuels expensive attrition rates. One in ten lawyers plan to leave the profession in the next 12months, one in three want to leave their employer in the next 12 months, and a third say they feel depressed or anxious. What is going wrong inside the profession that holds the rest of us to account? Professor Julian Webb of Melbourne Law School explains the new survey behind these findings.
Episode #8 // If an employer uses AI for hiring, who is legally responsible when it discriminates?
Around two-thirds of Australian organisations use artificial intelligence computer programs to recruit new staff. But Dr Natalie Sheard, a researcher with Melbourne Law School, found that there are serious risks that AI used to screen job applicants will discriminate against women, older applicants and minority groups, eliminating them as a prospect before a human being gets a chance to even see their applications. Will it all end in a class action?
Episode #7 // Sexual strangulation by consent: a legal riddle
More than half of young people are using consensual strangulation during sex (“choking”), but few understand the risks. Should we re-think what it means to consent under the law? Melbourne Law School's Professor Heather Douglas explains her ground-breaking research on this rising and dangerous pastime.
Episode #6 // Will the 'right to strike' become illegal?
Australian employers have joined an international legal case that challenges the right of workers to strike. What will it mean for Australian workers if they win? We speak with Professor Sean Cooney of Melbourne Law School, who has written submissions for this globally significant case before the International Court of Justice.
Episode #5 // Fake porn is not new, but does the law have any answers yet?
Since the camera was invented, men have been misusing women’s images for profit. Copyright, defamation and privacy laws have all been called on to stop it, but AI and 'deep fake' porn is a new frontier. Melbourne Law School researcher Dr Jessica Lake talks about recent cases and the existing law and calls for reforms to better protect women.
Episode #4 // Does a ceasefire agreement have any legal force?
There is a legal vacuum behind attempts to forge a ceasefire in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Does international law have any real power in these times of global turmoil? And how can a ceasefire agreement be enforced when one party is a ‘non-state entity’? Dr Marika Sosnowski from the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness at Melbourne Law School explains.
Episode #3 // Can you voice-record what your doctor tells you?
Patients often want the right to record some consultations, but doctors are not so keen and sometimes refuse to permit it. What does the law say? We talk to Dr Megan Prictor, a Melbourne Law School expert researching the law of privacy.
Episode #2 // The US Constitution is fragile. How can it be defended in the Trumpian age?
President Trump is stress testing the Constitution of the USA inways that have never been seen, drawing on strategies we see in authoritarian countries. Will judges and the courts frustrate his efforts to assume more power than any previous President? We ask constitutional law scholar Associate Professor William Partlett, of Melbourne Law School, to explain.
Episode #1 // Robo-love: when affection for an artificially created 'companion' goes wrong
A 14-year-old boy in the US recently took his own life after an AI chatbot ‘companion’ he created repeatedly entreated him to ‘please come home to me’. What, if anything, can the law do about the dark side of these new computer-based ‘friends’? Australia's leading AI law expert, Professor Jeannie Paterson of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics, explains.