DEATH PENALTY-INDONESIA: Bali Bombers’ Reprieve Likely To Be Brief

Lawyers for the three Islamist militants sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings have succeeded in winning an execution delay - but their last-ditch effort to save their clients from a firing squad is likely to be only temporary.

EAST TIMOR: Australia Flexes Muscles Following Coup Bid

Australia’s rapid response to this week’s attacks on East Timor’s president and prime minister speaks volumes about how East Timor’s large southern neighbour sees its role in the fledgling nation and the region.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Apology, No Compensation For Lost Generations

While aboriginal groups have welcomed the Australian government’s pledge to apologise to the 'stolen generations', they argue that the gesture should be backed up with compensation.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Harsh Treatment of Immigrants Slammed

A new report by Australia’s human rights commission on the country’s immigration detention centres has slammed conditions inside the largest facility as "prison-like" while repeating calls for an end to the policy of mandatory detention.

AUSTRALIA: National Rights Charter May Follow Victoria’s Lead

On Jan. 1, Victoria became the first Australian state to implement a human rights charter. But while the charter has been heralded as a boon for individuals’ rights, a government-appointed human rights ‘champion’ argues that its focus is too narrow.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Controls Over Ex-Taliban David Hicks ‘Excessive’

As David Hicks, former ‘Australian Taliban’ and Guantánamo Bay inmate after his capture in Afghanistan in 2001, savours his freedom restrictions imposed on him continue to be excessive say lawyers and human rights activists.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Indian Doctor’s Case Challenges Migration Laws

The decision by Australia's federal court to uphold an earlier ruling reinstating the work visa of terror suspect Mohammed Haneef appears to have signalled the end of the Indian doctor’s involvement and possible changes to the country's immigration laws.

ENVIRONMENT-AUSTRALIA: Activists Split Over Policy on Japanese Whaling

As Australia continues to call on Japan to abandon its whaling program, leading environmental groups are divided in their response to the government’s plan to stop Japanese whaling.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: ‘Pacific Solution’ for Boat People Rolled Back

While advocates of asylum seekers have supported the new Australian government’s plan to wind down part of the so-called ‘Pacific Solution’ for processing claims for asylum, they argue that the government should go further.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: ‘Rudd’s Policies Won’t Hurt US-Australia Ties’

Analysts argue that while the new Australian government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will charter a more independent course from the United States, the bilateral relationship is likely to remain strong in the coming year.

CLIMATE CHANGE – AUSTRALIA: Rudd Urged to Lead Binding Targets at Bali

While Australia’s newly-elected Labour Party (ALP) government will ratify the Kyoto Protocol - even receiving a standing ovation at the United Nations climate change conference in Bali - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may oppose moves to commit rich nations to specific targets on cutting greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions.

ENVIRONMENT-AUSTRALIA: Ratifying Kyoto – No Easy Job for New Gov&#39t

While Australia’s prime minister-elect, Kevin Rudd, can expect plaudits when he attends next week’s United Nation’s Climate Change conference in Bali, for his pledge to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the ratification process may not be as easy as first anticipated.

AUSTRALIA: Uranium Supply to India – Hot Election Issue

Analysts say that the stalling in the Indian parliament of the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement could prove convenient for the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) - if it wins the Nov. 24 elections - to avoid supplying uranium to India.

SOUTH PACIFIC: Australia Unchallenged by Chequebook Diplomacy

Despite the expanded involvement of a number of different powers in the South Pacific - exemplified by the European Union’s recently increased aid commitment - observers say that Australia remains the region’s dominant player.

DEATH PENALTY-AUSTRALIA: Political Parties Display Double Standards

The high-profile cases of three Indonesian Islamist militants and six Australian drug mules facing execution in Bali have thrown the spotlight on this country's "inconsistent" position on capital punishment.

AUSTRALIA: Gov’t Consistent in Opposing Indigenous Rights

Australia’s opposition to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, passed in September, is in step with the government’s approach to domestic policies under Prime Minister John Howard.

AUSTRALIA: &#39Uranium For India Not Linked to US Nuke Deal&#39

Despite Australia’s agreement to provide uranium to India being put on ice as a consequence of the stalled nuclear deal between the United States and India, analysts say Australia is not just following the U.S. lead.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Indigenous People See Common Ground in Struggles

Indigenous people around the world are finding common cause in their struggles to retain their identities and their land.

AUSTRALIA: Activists Slam Neo-Colonialism in the Pacific

Activists attending an international solidarity forum in Melbourne have been speaking out against what they regard as neo-colonial practices in the South Pacific region.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Bias Seen in Cuts on African Refugee Intake

Comments by Kevin Andrews, Australia’s minister for immigration and citizenship, singling out Sudanese nationals as a group having problems integrating into Australian society, have set off a storm of protests.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: ‘Australian Peacekeeping Has an Agenda’

A survey of Solomon Islanders showing widespread support for the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been rejected by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who says that the timing of the survey highlights the 'true agendas' behind the deployment of RAMSI.