The Gillard government must act swiftly to educate the public if a referendum to allow federal funding of local councils is to succeed this year, argues Professor George Williams.
A lengthy legal battle over the Murray-Darling between the states and the Commonwealth may have disastrous implications for policy-making in this area, argues Shipra Chordia.
David Hicks' future is as much a matter of politics as the law, but getting our leaders to step in and support him seems unlikely, write Fergal Davis and Nicola McGarrity.
The Gillard government's announcement that it won't push ahead with the referendum for constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples comes as no surprise, writes Andrew Lynch.
Criminal trials are about much more than declarations of guilt or innocence - often they are about public spectacle, all the more true when lycra clad punks are involved, write Fergal Davis and Svetlana Tyulkina.
The recommendations of the expert panel on asylum-seekers are disappointingly regressive and lacking in vision and imagination, write Jane McAdam, Mary Crock and Daniel Ghezelbash.
It is disappointing that the importance of maintaining a healthy federal judiciary is not reflected in the current bills before parliament, writes Andrew Lynch.
The National Security Monitor gets a provisional 'A" in his first year in a role that aims to review the operation, effectiveness and necessity of Australia's anti-terrorism laws, write Jessie Blackbourn and Nicola McGarrity.
