Surrogacy laws in Queensland: one step forward and two steps back?

This short article summarises some of the proposed reforms to surrogacy laws in Queensland, suggested by the Liberal National Party in 2012. The paper outlines some of the main objections that could be voiced in response to the proposed changes to the law.

Pearl of a town may entrap you

A 1,000-word travel article about Broome in Western Australia. "BY THE end of a weekend in Broome, you are quite sure that this town is a fiction, an imagining. I am in a provincial comedy. On my way from the airport, I will be kidnapped, driven to the newspaper offices and told to write the local shipping news, or the pearler news, or the gas works news - the news of whichever resources boom is next..."--publisher website

Australian laws and policies on child neglect

This chapter describes the features of different Australian State and Territory laws and policies about child neglect. It makes observations about three major domains of law and policy: laws about child neglect to enable protection of children who are suffering severe neglect (child protection laws); laws and policies about the provision of services for children and their families when experiencing neglect (support-oriented laws and policies); and criminal laws about child neglect.

Vaccine farming in Cape Town

The review details the development of the Subunit Vaccine Group at the University of Cape Town, from its beginnings as a plant virology laboratory in the 1980s. The investigation and development of Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Human immunodeficiency vaccine candidates are covered in detail, with an emphasis on how this work allowed the evolution of a systematic approach to the optimisation of expression of these and other proteins especially in plants, but also in insect cell culture. We discuss various insights gained during our work, such as approaches to codon optimisation, use of different vector systems and plant hosts, intracellular targetting and gene modification. The future prospects for both our work and for the field of plant-made vaccines in general, are discussed. © 2011 Landes Bioscience.

The exemplification of governance principles within state asset management laws and policies : the case of Indonesia

This chapter reviews aspects of the challenge of reviewing and reforming Indonesian practice within state asset management law and policy specifically related to public housing, public buildings, parklands, and vacant land. A critical issue in beginning this review is how Indonesia currently conceptualizes the notion of asset governance and how this meaning is embodied in recent changes in law and policy and importantly in options for future change. This chapter discusses the potential complexities uniquely Indonesian characteristics such as decentralisation and regional autonomy regime, political history, and bureaucratic culture.

International conventions and model laws : their impact on domestic commercial law

Panellist commentary on delivered conference papers on the topic of ‘International Conventions and Model Laws - Their Impact on Domestic Commercial Law’.

The exemplification of governance principles within state asset management laws and policies : the case of Indonesia

Efficient state asset management is crucial for governments as they facilitate the fulfillment of their public functions, which include the provision of essential services and other public administration support. In recent times economies internationally and particularly in South east Asia, have displayed increased recognition of the importance of efficiencies across state asset management law, policies and practice. This has been exemplified by a surge in notable instances of reform in state asset management. A prominent theme in this phenomenon is the consideration of governance principles within the re-conceptualization of state asset management law and related policy, with many countries recognizing variability in the quality of asset governance and opportunities for profit as being critical factors. This issue is very current in Indonesia where a major reform process in this area has been confirmed by the establishment of a new Directorate of State Asset Management. The incumbent Director-General of State Asset Management has confirmed a re-emphasis on adherence to governance principles within applicable state asset management law and policy reform. This paper reviews aspects of the challenge of reviewing and reforming Indonesian practice within state asset management law and policy specifically related to public housing, public buildings, parklands, and vacant land. A critical issue in beginning this review is how Indonesia currently conceptualizes the notion of asset governance and how this meaning is embodied in recent changes in law and policy and importantly in options for future change. This paper discusses the potential complexities uniquely Indonesian characteristics such as decentralisation and regional autonomy regime, political history, and bureaucratic culture.

Evolution and innovation in guardianship laws: Assisted decision-making

Guardianship laws in most Western societies provide decision-making mechanisms for adults with impaired capacity. Since the inception of these laws, the principle of autonomy and recognition of human rights for those coming within guardianship regimes has gained prominence. A new legal model has emerged, which seeks to incorporate ‘assisted decision-making’ models into guardianship laws. Such models legally recognise that an adult’s capacity may be maintained through assistance or support provided by another person, and provide formal recognition of the person in that ‘assisting’ role. This article situates this latest legal innovation within a historical context, examining the social and legal evolution of guardianship laws and determining whether modern assisted decision-making models remain consistent with guardianship reform thus far. It identifies and critically analyses the different assisted decision-making models which exist internationally. Finally, it discusses a number of conceptual, legal and practical concerns that remain unresolved. These issues require serious consideration before assisted decisionmaking models are adopted in guardianship regimes in Australia.

Surveillance Town: Social inclusion-exclusion through surveillance, ‘the dignity of work’ and income management

This paper discusses the situation of welfare claimants, constructed as faulty citizens and flawed welfare subjects at the receiving end of complex and multi-layered, private and public, forms of monitoring and surveillance aimed at securing socially responsible, consuming and compliant behaviours. In Australia as in many other western countries, the rise of neoliberal economic regimes with their harsh and often repressive treatment of welfare claimants operates in tandem with a growing arsenal of CCTV and assorted urban governance measures (Monahan 2008, Maki 2011). The capacity for all forms of surveillance to intensify social inequalities through the lens of CCTV and other modes and methods of electronic monitoring is amply demonstrated in the surveillance studies literature, raising fundamental questions around issues of social justice, equity and the expenditure of societal resources (Norris and Armstrong 1999, Lyon 1994, 2001, Loader 1996).

'I wouldn't say that' : finding a young adult, female voice in a Queensland mining town

This is a practice-led project consisting of a Young Adult novel, Open Cut, and an exegesis, 'I Wouldn't Say That': Finding a Young Adult, Female Voice in a Queensland Mining Town. The thesis investigates the use of first person narration in order to create an immediate engaging, realist Young Adult Fiction. The research design is bound by a feminist interpretative paradigm. The methodology employed is practice-led, auto-ethnography, and participant observation. Particular characteristics of first person narration used in Australian Young Adult Fiction are identified in an analysis of Dust, by Christine Bongers, and Jasper Jones, by Craig Silvey. The exegesis also contains a reflection on the researcher's creative work, and the process used to draft, edit, plot and construct the novel. The research contributes to knowledge in the field of Young Adult Literature because it offers a graphic portrayal of an Australian mining town that has not been heard before.