Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Not For Punishment: We Need To Understand Bail, Not Review It, Julia Quilter

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Courts make hundreds of bail decisions every week but we rarely hear about them. In the past month in New South Wales, however, we have heard much about three high-profile decisions granting bail to: Steven Fesus, accused of murdering his wife 17 years ago; Hassan “Sam” Ibrahim, charged with selling illegal firearms across western Sydney (bail was revoked on appeal); and Mahmoud Hawi, charged with the murder of Peter Zervas during a brawl at Sydney Airport in 2009.

Each was granted bail under the Bail Act 2013, which came into force on May 20 this year. The allegations these men …

Civilian Deaths In Gaza Conflict Are Not Automatically A War Crime, Gregory L. Rose

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Inevitably, the United Nations Human Rights Council has expressed its condemnation of Israel and launched a war crimes inquiry. The vote on July 23 followed the usual political lines that have previously resulted in the 47-member council being critiqued for bias even by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The resolution was supported by 29 council members (for example Organisation for Islamic Co-operation states, Latin American nations, China, India), opposed by the US and abstained from by 17 mostly European countries.

Why Not Cut Aid? Let Us Count The Ethical Reasons, Just For A Start, Keith Horton

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Major changes have been made recently to Australia’s official aid program. Funding has been cut sharply. Australia’s aid agency AusAID has been absorbed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and no longer exists as a separate entity, reducing the autonomy of the aid program.

New statements of the main objectives of the aid program have removed the clear primacy formerly given to poverty reduction and put more emphasis on Australia’s national interests and economic growth.

In this context, it is important to remind ourselves that overseas aid is an ethical issue, not just a matter of politics or …

Why Julie Bishop Is Wise Not To Judge Israeli Settlements Illegal, Gregory L. Rose

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

There was once consensus that the earth is flat. Similarly, the international legal situation of Israeli settlements is flatly said to be criminal. The truth is different and more complex.

Ben Saul’s recent article on the “dirty politics of Israel’s criminal colonial enterprise” was passionate in its hostility to Israeli settlements but its legal arguments were lacklustre. He declared the existence of 50 years of consensus among the United Nations General Assembly, Security Council and the International Court of Justice concerning the illegality of the settlements, but there has never been such a thing.

Urban construction by Israelis in the …