Inbrief

The criminal jurisdiction of the Federal Court

The Australian Government has introduced�Bills to give the Federal Court indictable criminal jurisdiction and to�enable it�to conduct jury trials in cases of serious cartel conduct....

Legislation to note: Foreign Evidence Amendment Bill 2008

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has introduced into parliament the Foreign Evidence Amendment Bill 2008, the main purpose of which is to change the process for adducing business records obtained...

Position vacant: research associate at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law

An opening has become available for a research associate at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at the University of New South Wales. The successful applicant will be a member of a team working...

Legislation to note: Federal Justice System Amendment (Efficiency Measures) Bill

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today introduced legislation�which he claims will�assist judges to reduce the cost and length of trials for litigants. The�Federal Justice System...

Online survey of tax related issues

Members are encouraged to participate in the Market Solutions Legal Practitioner Services survey of tax related issues.�The object of the exercise is to collect data that would assist the Tax...

Webwatch: AustLII launches two new services

AustLII has announced the launch of two new services, which it has developed during 2008:

>> Free access to the English Reports, 1220-1873; and >> LawCite, a free access international citator.

The...

Papers to note: parliamentary committee report on the immigration detention system

The Australian Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Migration has�published Immigration Detention in Australia: A New Beginning,�the first of three such�reports.

Under its terms...

Papers to note: Homicide in Australia

The International Homicide Conference begins tomorrow on the Gold Coast. Ahead of the conference, the Australian Institute of Criminology has released its 2006-2007 annual report for the National...

Law Council speaks out on NT intervention legislation

The Law Council has called on the Australian Government to reject a push to suspend the Racial Discrimination Act in the Northern Territory and urged it to honour its commitment to restore the permit...

Federal Court Amendment Rules 2008 (No 2)

The Federal Court Amendment Rules 2008 (No 2) were registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments today,�1 December 2008.

The Amendment Rules make the following amendments to the...

Appointment to the Defence Force Appeal Tribunal

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today announced the appointment of the Hon Justice Margaret White, of the Queensland Supreme Court, as deputy president of the Defence Force Discipline Appeal...

Fees owed to counsel - Duncan Li

Pursuant to s623(2) of the Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW), the Law Society of New South Wales has appointed Mr Con John Georgas to manage the law practice of** Duncan Li,** situated at Lower Ground...

Women Barristers Forum Annual General Meeting

The annual general meeting� of the Women Barristers Forum, a section of the NSW Bar Assocation, will be held on�2 December 2008 at 5.15 pm�in the Bar Association Common Room for the...

Speeches of a Chief Justice: James Spigelman 1998-2008

All members of the bar are cordially invited to the launch of a special edition volume of speeches of Chief Justice Spigelman AC to mark his tenth anniversary, on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 at...