Pro bono legal services among commercial lawyers have become a significant part of the legal profession in Australia. While pro bono work has experienced steady growth, there have been insufficient studies on the challenges and solutions to increasing pro bono legal services among commercial lawyers. To this end, the article examines the challenges and potential solutions to expanding pro bono services. The author ultimately contends that a more robust legal education on the importance of pro bono work and its opportunities is a key step in bolstering proactive pro bono efforts.

The failure of the Voice Referendum in October 2023 cannot be seen in isolation; its roots lie in the policies of the Howard government nearly three decades earlier. From the undermining of native title to the abolition of ATSIC and resistance to reconciliation, Howard’s systematic dismantling of the modest reforms initiated under Hawke and Keating set the stage for the rejection of the Voice. Beyond the referendum itself, the continued denial of self-determination is evident in the unfulfilled recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the stalled progress of Closing the Gap, leaving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples facing a bleak status quo.

In this article, I propose a return to the High Court in the wake of the failure of the Voice referendum. This would enable a critical review of the common law’s treatment of First Nations’ sovereignties. I argue that, as with Mabo in 1992 regarding native title, recognition of prior First Nations’ sovereignties is available within existing common law. While case law appears unpromising, I critique judicial reasoning, identify crevices in judgments and mount an argument for pleading a justiciable case before the High Court. This proposal provides for a potential improvement in justice for First Nations Australians by recognising their sovereignties.

This Brief provides an overview of Australia’s social media minimum age laws including: what harms are intended to be addressed, what services are captured, the obligation imposed on in-scope services, and the privacy implications for users of social media.

This article critically examines the Making Queensland Safer Act 2024 (Qld), situating it within a broader trajectory of punitive youth justice reforms in Queensland. It argues that the Act reflects a deliberate political strategy of punitive populism, enacted at the expense of children and young people’s rights and in clear contravention of both domestic and international human rights standards. The author explores the symbiotic relationship between media narratives, political opportunism and public opinion in manufacturing a youth crime ‘crisis’ and calls for an urgent shift toward evidence-informed youth justice policy.

The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) (RDA), Australia’s first federal anti-discrimination law. While now regarded as a foundational part of Australia’s human rights framework, the RDA was the product of a protracted and contested legislative process. Its passage required confronting legal uncertainty, and ideological division over race, rights, and the role of international law. This article revisits that journey, focusing on the Whitlam government’s efforts to implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination , and the broader vision of democratic reform it pursued. It examines how the RDA was shaped through compromise and perseverance, by reflecting on the debates that surrounded its passage. The history of the RDA shows principled legal reform is both possible and essential for a more just and inclusive society.

This article looks at recent developments in Aotearoa New Zealand where courts are increasingly referring to tikanga Māori in the determination of disputes. Designed as an ‘entry point’ for Australian human rights and anti-discrimination lawyers, it uses practical examples to explore some transferable applications that might support better outcomes in an Australian context.