News and events

With the Optus data breach exposing almost 10 million current and former customers to identity theft, law firms are circling for what could end up being the biggest – and most valuable – class action case in Australian legal history.

Dylan Alcott, Australian of the Year in 2022, during his acceptance speech called for the guaranteed funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) into the future so that people living with a disability can get the support that they need.

On Friday 16 September, the Centre for Law and Social Justice, in collaboration with CIFAL Newcastle, convened a HDR Roundtable on social justice and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

on 15 September, the Centre for Law and Social Justice hosted a film screening of Incarceration Nation.

On 8 September 2022, the Centre hosted a morning tea and Q&A with two high profile Newcastlelaw alumni, Elizabeth McLaughlin and Rebecca Silberberg.

The Albanese government will keep its election commitment to abolish the cashless debit card. Cashless cards limited the financial autonomy of over 17,000 participants, a disproportionate number of whom are First Nations people.

On 29 August 2022, the Centre hosted a panel discussion to highlight the work of the Bride of Hope Innocence Initiative (BOHII).

Israel launched multiple air strikes on Gaza on August 5, in another eruption of open warfare between Israel and Palestinian militants. The latest attacks come just over a year after hundreds were killed in an intense period of conflict in the territory.

On Monday 25th July, the University of Newcastle’s Legal Centre proudly hosted a First Nations Wills Day. It was a huge success, with 21 First Nation’s clients participating.

On June 17 2022, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel issued a statement confirming she had approved the US government’s request to extradite Julian Assange. The Australian founder of Wikileaks faces 18 criminal charges of computer misuse and espionage.

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of NSW, launched the Centre for Law and Social Justice on the 2 June 2022. Her Excellency gave an inspiring address around concepts of equity and fairness and the duty of educated persons to serve the community.

New research has found that Drag Queen Storytime (DQS) childhood literacy events at public libraries and bookshops in the USA and Australia between 2018 and 2020 became sites of networked online and offline hate by anti-LGBTQ groups.