Greg Barns

Greg Barns SC is a former National President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance

Greg's recent articles

The plot to murder Julian Assange is being ignored by the mainstream media

The plot to murder Julian Assange is being ignored by the mainstream media

The US government reportedly planned to kidnap and murder Julian Assange. And yet the Australian commentariat and media are silent. Why?

Why the US-led AUKUS security pact leaves Australia exposed

Why the US-led AUKUS security pact leaves Australia exposed

Signing on to a confrontational and provocative strategy to contain China exposes Australians to greater economic and security dangers and reflects a further loss of independence for Australia.

IPA's pick for Human Rights Commissioner undermines independence

IPA's pick for Human Rights Commissioner undermines independence

Lorraine Finlay's appointment as Human Rights Commissioner is yet another attack from the Coalition on the commission's independence.

Australia continues to ignore as Assange's trial intensifies

The relentless pursuit by the United States of Australian publisher Julian Assange continues with a legal argument last week about the scope of an appeal hearing in the UK Court of Appeal in October this year.

Why we shouldnt race to mandate vaccination

Why we shouldnt race to mandate vaccination

When governments and health experts call for mandatory vaccination we should be wary. While it is potentially the optimal way to get society moving again and particularly to end the frequency and severity of harmful lockdowns, the requirement for every citizen to have their individual rights trumped by the community interest is a drastic measure in a society supposedly committed to liberal values.

Response to Grace Tame: allegations are not a conviction

Earlier this week the Morrison Government announced that Industry Minister Christian Porter would be Acting Leader of the House, a senior parliamentary role, in the absence of Defence Minister Dutton who is in Covid quarantine. Predictably , the decision to temporarily elevate Mr Porter has led to outrage on social media and a highly critical opinion piece by Australian of the Year Grace Tame in the Nine newspapers.

Key Assange accuser backs away from what he told US prosecutors

Key Assange accuser backs away from what he told US prosecutors

Why the reluctance of the Australian media to report on a significant development in the Assange case?

The misuse of Covid app data by police and others.

The misuse of Covid app data by police and others.

There ought also to be heavy penalties and sanctions for the leadership of the police, law enforcement and security agencies when they facilitate or turn a blind eye to, the unlawful gathering of data such as Covid tracing app data.

Arrest of Kristo Langker represents gross misuse of resources and threat to our freedom of speech

Arrest of Kristo Langker represents gross misuse of resources and threat to our freedom of speech

When politicians in Australia rushed to legislate in the wake of 9/11 and the commencement of the so-called war on terror, some of us warned that such legislation and the bureaucracy it created would be abused by police. We warned that the sorts of concepts and powers that anti-terror laws spawned would find their way into other areas of social control.

Covid in India and racism in Australia

Covid in India and racism in Australia

In Australia, since the infamous 2001 Tampa crisis the decline of the rule of law, often in the context of playing the race card, has been a disturbing feature of the political landscape. And the decision by the Morrison government to announce that it would use a draconian measure to fine and jail Australians who wish to return from Covid ridden India, marks a new low in that trend.

Porter a convenient target for rage but must be accorded fairness

Porter a convenient target for rage but must be accorded fairness

No inquiry could come to any conclusion about the allegations. However, an inquiry that examines the impact of the allegations on the capacity of Christian Porter to hold office as the first law officer and as the person responsible for the administration of justice at the Commonwealth level is required.

Trial by media, politicians or social media does not serve justice

The mindset that says that all persons who make claims of sexual abuse are to be believed and therefore they are survivors or victims is problematic to say the least.

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