Megan Davis

The commitment by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to a referendum in his first term of government puts lawyers squarely in the frame of influence over the coming years. Referendums are rare in this country. The last one was in 1999, and the last successful referendum was in 1977. Referendums are one occasion that Australians do want to hear the views of lawyers. And this is a serious responsibility for all of us.

Megan Davis

Dani Larkin, Harry Hobbs, Dylan Lino and Amy Maguire

In the wake of the historic 1967 referendum extending the Commonwealth Parliament’s legislative power in Indigenous affairs, Prime Minister Harold Holt made a prediction to his Cabinet that the electorate would undoubtedly look increasingly to the Commonwealth Government as the centre of policy and responsibility regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. That prediction proved true.

Hannah McGlade

The Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia’s Inquiry into the destruction of Indigenous heritage sites at Juukan Gorge reported in October. Its report, ‘A Way Forward’ called for a new national framework of Aboriginal heritage protection co-designed with Aboriginal people. It recommended that the responsibility for Aboriginal cultural heritage, sitting …