'The Research Brief' is the new research bulletin from Macquarie University's Division of Law.

'The Research Brief', You, and Our Other Audiences

This first bulletin is intended mainly for internal audiences - our researchers, research degree supervisors, research degree students, research administrative staff, and select friends of Macquarie Law Research in the University community and beyond. We hope to send future bulletins to our wider research audiences externally in the legal and business professions, government, other universities, and the community, especially our collaborative partners at universities and other institutions nationally and internationally.

Each bulletin will have standard features, including: (i) a round-up of important legal research events; (ii) recent calls for public submissions and current inquiries; (iii) academic and student success stories; (iv) recent publications; (v) imminent internal and external research grant deadlines; (vi) research weblinks; and (vii) occasional commentary on important research and legal developments.

This is the first and, unfortunately, the last newsletter involving our Divisional Research Officer, Julian Zipparo, who leaves us to take up the new Research Officer role at the Division of Humanities. This first newsletter is largely the result of Julian's and my collective efforts, with select contributions from others, and we all wish him the very best in his new job on campus.

In this first research bulletin, I'd like to foreshadow one recent government report and also comment on another recent legal development, both of which are of interest to legal academics, research degree students and their supervisors, and members of the legal and business professions. Both are related to the broad topic of corporations and their regulation and responsibility.

'Minors Consent to Medical Treatment' Public Forum

On 27 November 2006, the Division of Law convened a Public Forum on "Minors' Consent to Medical Treatment" in collaboration with the NSW Law Reform Commission. The Forum represents the first major outcome of a research project involving members of the Division in collaboration with a range of government and industry partners, including the NSW Law Reform Commission, NSW Health, the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research, United Medical Protection, the Australian and New Zealand Association for Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Calls for Submissions/Current Inquiries

Australian Law Reform Commission

Legal Professional Privilege and Commonwealth investigatory bodies Commission Report due - December 2007

Privacy: Review of the Privacy Act 1988

Closing date for submissions to Issues Paper 31 - 15th January 2007 Closing date for submissions to Discussion Paper - October 2007

NSW Law Reform Commission

• Jury service
• Disputes in company title home units
• Privacy
• Role of juries in sentencing
• Consent of minors to medical treatment
• Jurors
• Relationships and the law
• Third Party Guarantees
• Surveillance
• Uniform Succession Laws
• Sentencing

Parliament of Australia

Australian legal historian Professor Bruce Kercher has secured $180,000 of funding from 2006 to 2008 to continue his widely acclaimed work on one long term project and to develop two new projects.

Four members of the Division have had major books published in recent weeks, the details of which - including publisher links - can be found below:

The next major external research grants deadline is for the Australian Research Council Discovery Grants round of 2007 (for funding commencing in 2008). Details of that scheme, as well as the two internal Macquarie schemes which are available year round can be found below:

Division of Law

Macquarie University Research Office

High Court Workchoices Decision

Margaret Kelly, The Australia - Overdue recognition that the states aren't sovereign

Donna Craig, ABC News online - Strengthening international environmental governance