Alternative Law Journal

Media Release

10 May 1999

The April Alternative Law Journal covers a number of concerns related to access to justice, the practice of law and the criminal justice process. Rosemary Hunter and Helen McKelvie highlight the significance of gender to practice as a barrister while Simon Rice transports us to the Year 2525 and considers what access to justice might mean half a millennium away. Louis Schetzer raises serious concerns about the impact of a Goods and Services Tax on both legal aid and the work of community legal centres.

Carolyn Penfold outlines the range of difficulties faced by outworkers in the clothing industry while Sotirios Sarantakos reviews international developments in the recognition of gay marriage. James Rose looks at amendments to the Native Title Act and raises serious concerns with our public policy-making processes. Rose calls for a greater role for civil society in the development of policy. Claire Harris reviews the passage of human rights legislation, albeit with various qualifications, in the United Kingdom.

This issue also looks at criminal justice concerns. Gail Barnes considers the gendered nature of the criminal law, contrasting the conviction of Heather Osland and the acquittals of Said Morgan and David Albion in cases involving use of lethal force in defence of oneself or of others. There are also two articles dealing with issues of police accountability. Kerri Phillips and James Godfrey outline serious concerns about police use of Oleoresin Capsaicin while Kirsten Edwards questions Sydney police practices in relation to soliciting offences.