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Law & society

News about legal, social and ethical issues based on peer-reviewed studies or expert analysis

Latest news

18 March 2024

Ground-breaking research informs NSW AI inquiry

Sydney Law School researchers have provided evidence on the use of automated decision-making in state and local government sectors in New South Wales (NSW) at the NSW Artificial Intelligence Inquiry.
18 March 2024

Professor Fleur Johns appointed as Head of School and Dean of Sydney Law School

Professor Fleur Johns is returning to Sydney Law School, where she started her prestigious academic career. She commences in Semester 1, 2025. Professor Johns is committed to research excellence and educational innovation, and is dedicated to enhancing student experience, learning and well-being.
13 March 2024

Raising the Bar makes post-work socialising a whole lot smarter

The University of Sydney and the City of Sydney have teamed up to bring the classroom to the pub, inviting 10 researchers and 10 entrepreneurs to combine their visions of a healthy future with Sydney's thirst for knowledge.
06 March 2024

How to make schools gender inclusive

Becoming co-educational is not the answer to gender-inclusivity. Rather, a holistic, community-involved approach is needed, write Drs Kellie Burns and Jessica Kean.
27 February 2024

Why Egypt refuses to open its border to Palestinians

Gazans attempting to shelter in Rafah are not permitted to cross the border into Egypt. Liyana Kayali, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, explains why.
08 February 2024

Smartphones mean we're always available to our bosses. 'Right to disconnect' laws are a necessary fix

Availability creep has led to significant unpaid overtime which "takes workers away from a fair day's work for a fair day's pay", writes Associate Professor Chris F Wright for The Conversation.
06 February 2024

Why do we have single sex schools?

Tradition and retrograde ideas about social interactions between boys and girls still inform discussions around co-educational versus single-sex schooling, write University of Sydney authors for The Conversation.
30 January 2024

Mysterious pearl shells unearthed in French Polynesia

Associate Professor James Flexner, archaeologist, returned from a dig in French Polynesia where, together with local community members, he and his team found relics from the country's missionary past.
29 January 2024

Anti-social media: What can be done to stop platforms from driving democratic societies apart?

Platforms designed to captivate our attention can foster environments where mental health deteriorates, political divides widen, and extremism finds fertile ground, writes Professor Uri Gal for ABC Religion & Ethics.
25 January 2024

Centralised social networks potentially hinder innovation

Social systems where influence is centred around one or two individuals can lead to pack mentality and group think in farming communities, according to new research.
16 January 2024

Is Jokowi paving the way for an Indonesian political dynasty?

By installing his son as the Presidential frontrunner's deputy, Joko Widodo may continue to wield power long after he leaves office. Indonesian law expert Professor Simon Butt and his colleague explain how this was engineered in The Conversation.
11 December 2023

Skills in Demand visa a 'triple-win' for workers, business and Australia

The new 'Skills in Demand visa' announced today will help to address major flaws in Australia's migration system that have led to worker exploitation and failed to address labour market needs, according to two leading employment relations and migration academics from the University of Sydney Business School.
11 December 2023

The government's preventative detention legislation, explained

New laws that allow certain former immigration detainees to be re-detained if they have committed a crime and pose an unacceptable risk to the community are not as black and white as they may seem, write Drs Michelle Peterie and Amy Nethery for The Conversation.
28 November 2023

How would a second Trump presidency reshape the US government?

From sweeping out opposition to gutting the civil service, Associate Professor David Smith predicts what Trump 2024 would look like.
16 November 2023

The power of stories to help or hinder progress

Humanity has always been driven by stories, and their power in a post-truth world will be the topic of exploration for the 2023 Cleveringa Address, to be held at the University of Sydney Business School on Monday 27 November.
08 November 2023

Workplace protections needed for menstruation and menopause

Consideration for menstruation and menopause needs to be included in our understanding of the right to work, according to new research from the University of Sydney Business School.
03 November 2023

Sydney academics awarded prestigious ARC Grants

University of Sydney academics have been awarded more than $24 million in funding for 42 new research projects, spanning accessible playgrounds for children with vision impairments, attracting and retaining quality teachers in early education, and developing facilities to improve renewable technology.
26 October 2023

Facing up to AI

It is hard to know all the changes artificial intelligence (AI) will bring to the world, but they'll no doubt be dramatic. The enormity of it all means AI can seem cold and intimidating, but that might change when it has a human-like face.
24 October 2023

What happens when technology learns to read our minds?

Advancements in neurotechnology could be at a turning point, but the new technology threatens to breach even the privacy of our brains. Looking at a recent case on this issue in the Supreme Court in Chile, Sydney Law School research addresses the need for Australia to protect our human rights and to reconsider many areas of law.
24 October 2023

Professor Ben Saul appointed to the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) has announced the appointment of Professor Ben Saul from the Sydney Law School as Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism. From 1 November 2023, Professor Saul's appointment will focus on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.