Justice with Jon Faine

Melbourne Law School
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Justice: The law behind the news, a weekly podcast brought to you by Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine.

  1. 3d ago

    Memory Wars: Should victims have their rape cases dropped because they have had therapy?

    This episode contains material some people might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine bring you Justice: a weekly podcast about the law behind the news. EMDR, a form of therapy now used for many people with a history of trauma, has been targeted by the legal system as possibly contaminating a victim’s memory.  Dozens of women have had their rape allegations dropped as a result.  Anthony Hurst, psychologist with Melbourne University’s Faculty of Health Sciences,  explains how the therapy works. Professor Jeremy Gans, of Melbourne Law School, explains the concerns of criminal prosecutors.     If this episode has raised any issues for you, you can contact the Lifeline Australia telephone support service on 13 11 14, or Project Respect on 0477 001 110 by phone call, text or WhatsApp.    Further reading    The NSW judgment discussed by Jeremy in the podcast:  Regina v Daniel Robert Tillott, Torek Hassan Jamal, Robert Andrew Haines and Paul Bargashoun Nos. 60888, 60919, 60928 of 1993 and 60004 of 1994 Criminal Law and Procedure [1995] NSWSC 83 (17 October 1995)    Plain language summaries of ‘false memories’:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-likely-arent-as-susceptible-to-false-memories-as-researchers-thought/  https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/its-easy-implant-false-childhood-memories-right-wrong-says-new-review    Further reading about EMDR:  Does treating emotional memories come at a price? Effects of single-session EMDR, imaginal exposure, and imagery rescripting on forced-choice recognition of event details in healthy adults - a laboratory study, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2025.104884  Selective Effects of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Imagery Rescripting and Imaginal Exposure on Voluntary and Involuntary Memory of an Aversive Autobiographical Event,  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388655051_Selective_Effects_of_Eye_Movement_Desensitization_and_Reprocessing_Imagery_Rescripting_and_Imaginal_Exposure_on_Voluntary_and_Involuntary_Memory_of_an_Aversive_Autobiographical_Event   The effects of eye movements on the content and characteristics of unpleasant autobiographical memories: an extended replication study, https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2024.2307925

  2. Jul 27

    How do we talk to our kids about climate change? Climate Kids hosts Dr Lily O’Neill and Dr Linden Ashcroft explain.

    Children are hearing about climate change at school and on the news, and rural kids are noticing its changes in their local environments. But how do we have honest conversations with kids about climate change without adding to their increasing climate anxiety? To explain, we are joined by Melbourne Law School's Dr Lily O'Neil and Dr Linden Ashcroft from the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Melbourne. Together, Lily and Linden have created Climate Kids, a YouTube series that brings together researchers across the University of Melbourne to answers kids' climate questions. You can watch episodes from season one of Climate Kids here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOObpoQndRmgMyR7gOBBIvCPnXVyt_8j New episodes will be released monthly from August 2026. Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  3. Jun 22

    Keeping the Bastards Honest: Deborah Glass OBE examines the independence of our 'independent' integrity agencies

    Each State and territory has ‘independent’ agencies that are meant to keep governments accountable. But how independent are they really? Deborah Glass OBE, former Victorian Ombudsman and now honorary fellow at Melbourne Law School, has new research on the question. Further reading: There are invisible strings that the powerful use to keep critics at bay: The Age  Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  4. Jun 7

    Immigration scammers run riot on Chinese social media. Dr Fan Yang explains.

    False scare campaigns and scams are common on Chinese-language media and social media in Australia, particularly targeting people who are anxious about their residency status. Who is behind it, and what can be done to protect our Chinese-language community?   Dr Fan Yang is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Melbourne node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S). Her work focuses on technologies and governance, digital ethics, innovative research methods, migration politics, and postcolonial technoscience. Her doctoral thesis, entitled ‘News Manufactories on WeChat’, provided one of the first insights into the internal operation of WeChat in Australia as a content production platform.    Read more of Fan’s work:  Contextualizing critical disinformation during the 2023 Voice referendum on WeChat: Manipulating knowledge gaps and whitewashing Indigenous rights  Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  5. May 25

    Australia has become a defamation hotspot. Are our politicians, whose own attacks in Parliament are protected by privilege, overdoing it? Jason Bosland explains.

    Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine bring you Justice: a biweekly podcast about the law behind the news.  In this episode, Associate Professor Jason Bosland explains what defamation is and why politicians sue over it, updates to Australian defamation law, and why some deserve to succeed in their court cases.  Further reading:  Melbourne Law School’s Dr Jessica Lake explains what the Higgins v Reynolds ruling tells us about defamation in Australia    Cases mentioned in this episode:  Reynolds v Higgins (2025) WASC 345  [2022] FCA 1235 - Burston v Hanson  Palmer v McGowan (No 6) [2022] FCA 927  Greenwich v Latham [2024] FCA 1050  Hanson-Young v Bauer Media Ltd [2013] NSWSC 1306  Russell v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2023] FCA 38  Russell v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2023] FCA 38  Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  6. Apr 22 ·  Bonus

    The issue of Aboriginal sovereignty can be heard by the High Court, new research has found. Could this be the next Mabo? Dr Olivia Barr explains.

    It has long been a legal truism that the High Court does not have the power to rule on issues of Aboriginal sovereignty, or the right to self-govern. But this idea is based on a legal misunderstanding, argues Associate Professor Olivia Barr.     Further reading from this episode:  You can read Olivia’s journal article here  Read more about the soco-economic benefits of modern treaties in Canada here  Read more about Victoria’s first statewide treaty here  Read the Treaty of Waitangi here  Cases mentioned in this episode:  Coe v Commonwealth [1979] HCA 68; (1979) 53 ALJR 403; (1979) 24 ALR 118 (5 April 1979)  Mabo v Queensland (No 2) ("Mabo case") [1992] HCA 23; (1992) 175 CLR 1 (3 June 1992)  Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  7. Apr 13

    Should doctors be able to refuse care if it offends their conscience? A conversation with Professor Julian Savulescu

    This episode contains material some people might find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine bring you Justice: a weekly podcast about the law behind the news. Should doctors be obliged provide all services that are ethically approved by their colleges and legal under the law, or should they have the right to refuse terminations, assisted dying or any other forms of care on the basis of personal conscience? Professor Julian Savulescu FAHMS is the Chen Su Lan Centennial Professor in Medical Ethics at the National University of Singapore, where he directs the Centre for Biomedical Ethics. He is an award-winning ethicist and moral philosopher, trained in neuroscience, medicine, and philosophy. He is Distinguished Visiting Professorial Fellow at Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Melbourne Law School.   Read more about medical ethics here:  Coelho, Ramona, et al. Unravelling Maid in Canada. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 15 Apr. 2025, www.mqup.ca/Books/U/Unravelling-MAiD-in-Canada2.  Grant, Isabel, et al. "A Conversation on Feminism, Ableism, and Medical Assistance in Dying." Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, vol. 35 no. 1, 2024, p. 31-72. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/947747.  Justice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

  8. Mar 30

    Should renters have to supply a CV for their cat? And other data invasions by real estate agents. Lina Przhedetsky on the privacy pitfalls.

    Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine bring you Justice: a weekly podcast about the law behind the news. New apps make it all too easy for real estate agents to collectintimate information from people applying to rent homes. Ever been asked for your marriage certificate? Or to do a personality quiz?  Lina Przhedetsky on the privacy pitfalls. To learn more about the use of digital technologies in the rental application process, take a look at the following links:  https://www.ahuri.edu.au/sites/default/files/documents/2026-01/AHURI-Final-Report-454-Implications-of-tenant-data-collection-in-housing_protecting-Australian-renters_.pdfhttps://theconversation.com/what-are-rent-tech-platforms-action-on-reining-in-these-exploitative-tools-is-long-overdue-239602https://www.choice.com.au/data-protection-and-privacy/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/choice-renttech-report-releasehttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/17/imperfect-match-australian-renters-in-the-dark-over-use-of-data-by-tech-company-snugJustice is a podcast of Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples as the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we record, publish, work, learn and live.

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About

Justice: The law behind the news, a weekly podcast brought to you by Melbourne Law School and host Jon Faine.

Information

  • Creator
    Melbourne Law School
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Melbourne Law School
  • Show Website
    Justice with Jon Faine