Author Archives: andrew

Burning questions for COP 21 in Paris 2015

By Andrew L. Urban If I were a journalist attending the closing press conference at COP 21* next month, I would be asking the following questions of the spokesman or woman for the delegates: Q: Can COP 21 confirm that … Continue reading

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Leadership and common sense missing in refugee action

By Andrew L. Urban Reporting on parts of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech to The Association of Christian Intelligentsia in Budapest on Friday, October 29, 2015, Hungarian Spectrum blogger Eva Balogh was somewhat dismissive of Orbán: “As far as … Continue reading

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Bjorn Lomborg doesn’t belong in Australian academe

By Andrew L. Urban Bjorn Lomborg doesn’t belong in Australian academic circles, as evidenced by the (2015) rush to refuse him a place to run an Antipodean cell of his Copenhagen research centre. Of course not: he insists on rational, … Continue reading

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Australia’s greatest forensic disaster

By Andrew L. Urban The chronic, long term failure of the South Australian legal system to ensure that its chief forensic pathologist was suitably qualified to give evidence was a ticking time bomb that is now about to explode, with … Continue reading

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Wine, women and … yeast to deradicalise young Muslim men naturally

The absence of women and wine in the daily life of many Muslim societies contributes enormously to violent male behaviour, says one philosopher, while an acclaimed lateral thinker says young men need to have yeast in their diet to curb … Continue reading

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DPPs “should be accountable” say SA barristers

On May 11, 2015, with exquisite timing, just days after the South Australian DPP Adam Kimber SC announced (to the surprise of many) he would retry Henry Keogh for murder in about a year’s time, The Adelaide Advertiser published the … Continue reading

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Henry Keogh retrial high bar to jump?

Writing in The ACT Bar Association Bar Bulletin, April/May 2015 edition*, Civil Liberties Australia’s Bill Rowlings explores decisions by various State DPPs, including South Australia’s Adam Kimber, who has announced a retrial of Henry Keogh for a murder which has been … Continue reading

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Henry Keogh and the stonewall of justice

By Andrew L. Urban. This is how it was reported in The Adeliade Advertiser: “In a Supreme Court hearing this morning (May 1, 2015) the highly controversial (Henry Keogh) case was listed for trial beginning on March 8, 2016. Director … Continue reading

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Criminal code amendment Bill almost there

Tasmanian Attorney General the Hon Vanessa Goodwin is making good on her promise to introduce legislation to amend and improve the Criminal Code to enable persons convicted of serious crimes further right to appeal their convictions. On the invitation of … Continue reading

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Sovereignty not a moral shield

By Andrew L. Urban. We must respect the sovereignity of other states as we expect them to respect ours, goes the argument against criticism of Indonesia’s death penalty for drug smugglers. Really? Is that like a blanket cone of silence … Continue reading

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