Julian Burnside

When put to the test, most people have difficulty identifying what justice is, especially when there is tension between proper process and a desired result. Due process is inherent in our conception of justice. However, bad process can yield the right result, just as good process can produce the wrong result. The legal system is designed to produce justice. We...

The first decade of the 21st century has seen a sharp decline in respect for human rights and the international rule of law. The legal conventions of the new realpolitik seem to owe more to Guantanamo than Geneva. Australia has tarnished its reputation in the field of human rights through its support for illegal warfare, its failure to honour international...

Renowned barrister, ethicist and human rights advocate Julian Burnside QC's grandparents lived in a world of handsome cars, elegant tennis parties and coiffed women. As a five-year-old, he saw privilege before he heard the word or learned its meaning. In this powerful broadside that takes in politicians and infamous legal cases, Julian Burnside explores the concept of privilege and the...

We live in a torrent of words—from radio and television, books and newspapers, and now from the internet. But, as Julian Burnside reminds us here, words are a source both of pleasure and power, and can be deployed for good or for ill. Some of these essays explore curiosities in odd corners of the language simply to remind us of...