Author Archives: Melody Halangoda
On 24 November 2021, the Federal Court handed down its decision in the matter of Dutton v Bazzi, in which the former Minister for Home Affairs (and current Minister for Defence) sued an individual for defamation in relation to a tweet. The court found that Peter Dutton had been defamed and that Mr Bazzi’s defence of fair comment failed. It awarded Dutton $35,000 in compensation. The alleged defamation Ms Bazzi was an unemployed refugee activist who published a tweet on 25 February 2021. The tweet read ‘Peter Dutton is a rape apologist’ and contained a link to… Read More
On 25 November 2021, the government introduced the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 into the House of Representatives. The Bill seeks to protect against discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs. It also amends existing anti-discrimination laws to provide more extensive exemptions in respect of religious institutions. The Bill has caused extensive controversy, with many human rights advocates claiming the legislation, if passed, will make it lawful to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity and other attributes, in situations where this is currently unlawful. The Bill also contains provisions overriding state and territory laws, meaning it has the potential… Read More