Just Cause

A podcast highlighting social justice at Sydney Law School

Just Cause is a podcast created by staff and students associated with the Sydney Law School’s Social Justice Advisory Group.

Season 1 of Just Cause

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Addressing issues of law and social justice

In each episode, students sit down with academics to discuss what social justice means to them, and how their work intersects with social justice goals.

Through these conversations, the podcast explores the meaning of social justice and highlights the range of social justice research carried out by academics working in or affiliated with Sydney Law School.

In season one, topics range from what it means to be a rebellious lawyer, to the relevance of legal and political theory to social justice practice, to global issues such as the war on drugs and the climate crisis. 

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Episode 1 | Wojciech Sadurski: Populism, Power and the People

Populism has become one of the buzzwords of contemporary political discourse, but what does the term 'populism' actually mean?

In this episode, Juliette Marchant talks to Professor Wojciech Sadurski about the diversity and plurality of populism and the threat that right-wing populism poses to democracy - focussing on what populists do, rather than what they say.

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Episode 2 | Jeff Gordon: Free Speech - At Home and Abroad

With pandemic lockdowns a thing of the past, what role should free speech have in future crises?

Final year LLB V student, Sarah Oh, and LLBII student, Reeyaa Agrawal, chat with free speech expert Dr Jeff Gordon about his award-winning article ‘Protest Before and During a Pandemic’ and his experience as an academic and student at Sydney Law School and Columbia Law School.

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Episode 3 | Mary Crock: The Politics of Migration Law

There have been major changes to the Australian mandatory immigration detention policy in the last year. But what caused this change?

In this episode, LLB students Raven Yang and Jamey Wang talk to Professor Mary Crock about the history of Australia’s mandatory detention policy, unpacking the complexity of migration law – practically and politically.

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Episode 4 | Tim Stephens: Treaties and Triumphs in Antartica

What are the legal challenges that confront us in the Anthropocene? In this episode, Alexis Zhang and Juliette Marchant chat to Professor Tim Stephens about the Antarctic Treaty System that protects one of the world’s most precious ecosystems and how international law travails the fine line between conservation and exploitation in governing whaling.

Join us to unravel the legal frameworks that aim to safeguard our planet's future.

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Episode 5 | Elisa Arcioni: Truth Telling After the Voice Referendum

Following the failed 2023 referendum, many questions have arisen as to the best way forward to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

In this episode, law students Charles Hao and Mahati Garimella talk to Associate Professor Elisa Arcioni about her work on inclusion and exclusion within the Australian Constitution, led by the overwhelming question – what comes next?

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Episode 6 | Kimberlee Weatherall: Regulating in Response to AI

Many argue that AI provides significant opportunities to boost productivity and improve services. Yet, its rapid development has made it difficult to grapple with the potential risks and challenges that it poses to human rights and social justice.

In this episode, LLB V students Sarah Koegel and Oliver McCue talk to Professor Kimberlee Weatherall about some of the knotty issues concerning the interaction between AI and regulatory frameworks within the law.

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Episode 7 | Kevin Walton: The Ethics of Obedience

Do we have a moral obligation to obey the law? How do we navigate the tensions between authority and personal morality? When – if ever – is breaking the law justified?

In this episode, Just Cause co-director Juliette Marchant chats to Associate Professor Kevin Walton about the philosophical and ethical dimensions of legal obedience.

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Episode 8 | Arlie Loughnan: Pleading Self-Defence as a Victim Survivor

Self-defence has a complicated role in the prosecution of victim-survivors of domestic violence who use force against their abusers.

In this episode, LLB student, Indigo Crosweller, chats with Professor Arlie Loughnan about how defence practitioners might approach a victim-survivor client and the accessibility of the defence of self-defence.

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Episode 9 | Simon Rice: A Future for Human Rights in Australia?

Have you ever wondered why Australia is the only Western democracy without a justiciable Human Rights Act? What are the current challenges in the legal education system, and how can it be improved?

In this episode, JD students Charles Hao and Mahati Garimella delve into these pressing questions with Professor Emeritus Simon Rice. Join us as we explore the complexities of Australia’s human rights framework and the areas in need of reform.

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Episode 10 | Jeanette Kennett and Allan McCay: Poverty, Agency and Blame

Discussions about poverty are often marred by pervasive myths that lead us to blame impoverished individuals for their own circumstances.

In this episode Juliette Marchant talks to Jeanette Kennett and Allan McCay about the corrosive effects of these poverty myths upon social policy, political discourse and the criminal justice system. Is there potential for reform in a political and legal system that is often criticised for its lack of empathy?

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Episode 11 | Julie McLean: Supporting Complainants in Sexual Offence Matters

How can the law best address sexual offences in an appropriately sensitive way? How can complainants be properly supported despite the adversarial nature of our legal system?

In this episode, Just Cause co-director Rachel Killean talks to Julia McLean about courtroom questioning in sexual offence proceedings, about Ground Rules hearings and recognising witnesses as diverse human beings, and about improving complainants' experiences with the system.

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Episode 12 | Liz Snell: Casework and Law Reform through Community Legal Centres

How can community legal centres best support those in need? How can their activist role lead to progressive law reform, improving the criminal legal system so that it works more effectively? How can we elevate the voices of victim survivors?

In this episode, Sydney Law School’s Social Justice Advisory Board co-chairs, Rachel Killean and Ben Mostyn, speak with our current practitioner-in-residence, Liz Snell, about legal assistance as a fundamental human right, about community legal centres’ role in the adoption of NSW’s new coercive control legislation, and about practicing social justice in everyday circumstances.

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Episode 13 | Fleur Johns: Pro-Bono Legal Practice, Data Governance and Guantanamo Bay

In this episode of Just Cause, LLB II student, Reeyaa Agrawal, and final year LLB V student, Sarah Oh, are joined by Professor Fleur Johns, the incoming Dean of Sydney Law School, to explore the intersections of law and social justice.

Fleur shares her journey from corporate law to academia, discussing the role of pro-bono work in corporate practice and how social justice can be integrated into legal careers. We also delve into her research on international law and technology, and data governance and its influence on global power dynamics and social justice movements reflecting on her work on Guantanamo Bay.

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