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Law & society
News about legal, social and ethical issues based on peer-reviewed studies or expert analysis
Latest news
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.
23 October 2023
Archaeologists, Barkindji custodians excavate dingo burial
A collaboration between a local Indigenous group and archaeologists has unearthed ancestral dingo remains, as Dr Amy Way and colleagues describe in The Conversation.
12 October 2023
Emerging labour market requires new regulation
New protections are needed to account for the emergence of the gig economy and the rise of labour hire operators, and to allow these new and evolving forms of business to maintain their social licence to operate, writes Associate Professor Chris F Wright in his submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee Inquiry on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023.
09 October 2023
Your car is watching you. The implications are profound and immediate
The rapid rise of smart vehicles has brought to the fore the often-overlooked issue of privacy breaches by car manufacturers, writes Professor Uri Gal from the University of Sydney Business School in The Canberra Times.
05 October 2023
Gendered discrimination and disrespect 'all too common' in legal profession
A new report, Designing Gender Equality into the Future of The Law examines the experience of women in the law including discrimination, harassment and overwork.
26 September 2023
How to manage exam season: take breaks and breathe
Associate Professor Paul Ginns' research shows that rest and relaxation maximises academic performance, even during exams. He explains why in The Conversation.
21 September 2023
Museum's teaching program wins international prize
The University of Sydney's Chau Chak Wing Museum has won the 2023 University Museums and Collections Prize for its object-based learning (OBL) program.