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Issue 0, Volume 19 The De Minimis Team In response to the Media Bargaining Code enacted by the Morrison Government, Facebook has this morning restricted the publication of all news stories on its site. The Facebook pages of major news services in Australia (as well as, apparently accidentally, several state government departments) are bare of posted content as of this morning. The move came with little warning.
The Media Bargaining Code sees websites such as Google and Facebook forced to pay media companies for content which is hosted or shared. It met with strong pushback from Big Tech, with Google threatening to withdraw services from Australia entirely. However, in recent weeks, Google has inked deals worth tens of millions of dollars with various media interests, and is expected to operate in Australia as normal. The deal with Nine Entertainment alone is reportedly worth $30 million. Facebook has evidently taken a more muscular approach, and it is unclear when, if ever, news will be allowed to be shared freely on the platform. Facebook users logging in on Thursday morning were greeted with the following statement: “In response to Australian government legislation, Facebook restricts the posting of news links and all posts from news Pages in Australia. Globally, the posting and sharing of news links from Australian publications is restricted.”
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Issue 0. Volume 19
A bright-eyed group of LMR students have been left feeling awkward this week, as it became apparent that their LSS-appointed pathfinders had been engaging in some ‘extracurricular activities’. Third-year JD students Jim Yang (23) and Ally Binsley (24) had been tasked with helping the incoming cohort of MLS students get to know the Law School, but apparently got to know each other pretty well along the way. “It started on day one, I reckon,” said a member of the pair’s Pathfinder group, on condition of anonymity. “They arrived to every event together, five minutes late and looking rumpled.” “It’s been really nice of Ally and Jim to show us around this week,” said Billie Jims (21). “I reckon I’ll enjoy law school, if it’s half as much fun as these two are having.” Issue 0, Volume 19  Hello friends! Welcome to the hallowed halls of Melbourne Law School. May you find the perfect balance between academic challenges and social comforts inside its relatively new, purpose built walls. For all you first years, allow me to introduce you to De Minimis, the official unofficial media outlet of MLS. The Managing Editor (that’s me) and the Publications Team release articles written by you fine young students in weekly (covid-safe) print and online editions for the enjoyment of all. Alongside the paper, De Minimis also runs a podcast on our website, deminimis.com.au, that covers a whole range of law-related topics. First up, our trusty Podcast Editor has secured interviews with Ian Malkin, Will Partlett, and another to-be-confirmed MLS legend to talk you through Torts, Principles of Public Law, and Obligations, respectively. All of us are watched and guided by our Editor in Chief, who will make his address in the coming edition. Our goal is to give all students a platform to share ideas and talk about issues that matter to them. You can send us anything you like (email below), be it an analysis of the latest High Court ruling, a report on an MLS networking night you heard about in the corridors, or an opinion piece about the quality of the tap water on the mezzanine floor. Issue 0, Volume 19 The following is an extract from Vol.II. No.7 of “De Minimis...Fortnightly News Sheet of the Law Students Society of Victoria” on the football inter-faculty matches at Melbourne University in July 1949. Reports of this nature were a regular part of De Minimis for the many decades of its initial conception.  Print published in The Australasian sketcher., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Football
Law Reaches Semi-Finals After two brilliant victories, (and, of course, the memorable Farrago match) Law are playing at top form and are combining well to achieve meritorious results. Issue 0, Volume 19 The first extract is from a 1963-4 edition and the second from 1968. They exemplify De Minimis’ transition towards light-heartedness and Mean Girl-esque gossip. Hard news was old news and satire was on trend. RUMORS TO BE QUASHED
~ that someone was found working in the Law Library last week. We have been told that this will not be allowed to happen again. Indeed if necessary, workmen will be brought in, fans left running, books thrown all over the desks and lights broken to prevent any further such outbursts. ~ Dr. Brett says De Minimis does not always misquote him - but only sometimes when its facts are not correct does he think so when in fact the facts are correct but may later be proved to be wrong although this cannot be started dogmatically unless this statement itself is reported incorrectly or unless it is read correctly although not in fact correct. Anyone who can follow this advanced process of reasoning, would be welcome to work as an associate of Dixon C. J. ~ Marcia Forsters IQ is not 17. Recent tests established that it is well into the twenties. ~ Mr. [__]althams hobby is learning Latin phrases by rote. Issue 0, Volume 19
Here we see another news-style report in a 1968 edition of De Minimis. Considering the class of 2018 will be having their Valedictory dinner in the very near future (covid restrictions pending) we thought we’d share some...insights into the Valedictory of 1968. VALEDICTORY DINNER 1968 This dinner was undoubtedly the best function run by the L.S.S. during the year - 168 professors, lecturers, judges and other assorted student dregs were unanimous in praise of the speeches, food and spiritus fluids (red, white and amber plonk). Special thanks must go to Brian Slattery, Ed Larkin, Ian McEachern and John Clements for efficient organisation of the occasion. The food was followed by a short break during which everyone socked down a few beers in the usual way. … Finally we have a piece from 2013, just two years into the revival of the Law School’s newspaper.
The People vs Apathy I seem to have been a little hard on the Law School lately. In the pages of De Minimis this year I’ve poked fun at its bragging about global ranking, its ridiculous parking and loud typing students among other trivialities. All true of course, but a little harsh nonetheless. Complaining is something we might rely too much on as a crutch when we see a problem. Identifying an issue is by all means a useful exercise (and an easy way of writing a weekly 300 word column), but if nothing productive is actually accomplished from it, it’s pretty pointless. I think in a sense we often forget how much easier it is to throw rocks from the sidelines than to actually make a contribution. So I thought it might be a good time to point out something nice about my dear old alma mater. Issue 13, Volume 18 MICHAEL FRANZ I’ve been thinking a lot about stories recently. About how they’re told, what they do and what they mean. How they are crafted, and lately in particular, how they end. If 2020 were a story, this would be a good time to start thinking about the ending. The end of week twelve, the end of semester, the end of the year. For some of us the end of our time at law school, the end of some of the friendships we made and the end of the things we did here. It is also appropriate that this week was another type of ending - the end of a lockdown that has, almost without break, dictated the shape of our city and our lives for the better part of this year. None of these are perfect or definitive endings of course. There are still all those annoying residual details such as exams, three-and a half year extensions, and that pesky global pandemic that’s still going on even if the stores have reopened. But to quote my old boss from her farewell last year, ‘it’s important to do justice to narrative arcs where we can.’  You've changed, De Min
Issue 13, Volume 18
WILHELM HASTINGS You might be asking, “Why hasn’t DM released a playlist yet this year?” Okay, sure, nobody has asked, or been asking, but you’re getting a playlist anyway. As it’s still 2020, feel free to use this small collection of 30 songs to cry, weep, mope and maybe even do a little bit of study to. Song recommendations in the comments will be listened to and perhaps added to the playlist, so please leave your soundtracks to 2020 down below xoxo 
Issue 13, Volume 18 YILING SHEN The criminal justice system, as it stands, is not delivering great outcomes. Our prisons are rife with sexual and physical abuse, they dehumanise and stigmatise those who enter them, and if we are looking at their function as making our societies safer, they don’t even work. This project is a conceptual exploration of what an alternative model might look like. It aims to allow the conceptualisation of an intangible concept, namely restorative justice, and how it might adapt the symbology and edifice of Australia’s current justice system.  Issue 13, Volume 18 BEEZUS FUFFOON Ah yes, the year of 2020 Believe me, there was hubris aplenty We were ruled by a man, History knows as Chairman Dan, Who thought the Roadmap led to the Land of Plenty  Issue 13, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER MLS CiC Judith Marychurch today authorised a ‘targeted elimination’ pitched by her aides. Looking tired but resolute, the Assistant Dean later watched the grainy playback footage of the target structure disappearing in a cloud of debris. The compound, a share-house in Brunswick, was a known hotbed of collusion, presenting a ‘real and present threat to MLS interests’, per a spokesperson.  "We don't negotiate with colluders" Issue 12, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER Peter Dutton was once again left fuming today, as his dastardly plot was foiled by the masked hero known to society only as “Alberto”. “My law-warp machine will suck the rule of law from right across Australia! Mwahaha!” Dutton was heard to cackle, before he was interrupted by a shout from above. “Knock, knock!” Alberto boomed, dropping down from the ceiling. Grabbing hold of Dutton’s contraption, he called out, “looks like your powers have been separated” and with a flex of his muscles, ripped the machine in half.  Who is this masked vigilante? Issue 12, Volume 18 SAM LUCAS My pitch for why we need a better dialogue about data rights and algorithm regulation. Netflix’s new documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’ is a critique of the immense power Facebook and Google (“the platforms”) hold over the lives of its users, and has generated a polarised public response. In the film's wake, many have deleted their social media accounts and have changed their notification settings to reduce the distraction presented by the platforms. Others, including Facebook itself, have labelled the film ‘sensationalist’, ‘distorted’ and lacking nuanced understanding of its technology. Facebook has also pointed to its self-regulatory efforts in curbing the issues presented in ‘The Social Dilemma’. [1]  The Social Dilemma (Netflix) Issue 11, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER Unimelb professor Ian Malkin stirred awake this morning on a bed of soft loam, displacing several squirrels that had been napping on his chest. Smoothing down his lace-up linen shirt, he began casting around for his shoes, which he was sure he’d been wearing when he entered the forest grove the evening before.  Issue 11, Volume 18 XAVIER BOFFA The sudden passing of Federal Circuit Court Judge Guy Andrew has reopened an ongoing and much-needed discussion about mental health in the legal profession. While, at the time of writing, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear, Judge Andrew’s is not the first high-profile case to shine a spotlight on these issues within our industry.  Issue 10, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER In a blow to those who knew him, and to the Monash Faculty of Law, erstwhile Dean Professor Horrigan was killed yesterday in a bare-knuckled altercation with MLS Dean Pip Nicholson.  Issue 9, Volume 18 ANONYMOUS I am Uyghur. I cannot visit the homeland of my people, as beautiful as it has been described, for fear of imprisonment or endangering my family. I cannot share nice pictures with my family because that will put them in more danger – if they are even alive. I have instead gathered a collection of publicly available photos in an attempt to put a human face to our people. For the last four years, my family have lost contact with family members in what is today known as “Xinjiang”. We know it as East Turkestan.  Uyghur boys, Kashgar in front of a statute of Chairman Mao Vice-Chancellor Decides to Cut Out The Middleman, Robs International Students at Knifepoint29/9/2020
Issue 9, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell is an elite administrator, widely credited with saving the finances of the University of Melbourne from the worst of the COVID-19 fallout. This week, he’s spotted a new efficiency-improving move to cut overhead, and reinforce the $1,335,000,000 endowment of the University of Melbourne.  Issue 8, Volume 18 DELINNA DING Xinjiang is a place which has gained notoriety across media headlines in the past couple of months, permeating even the selective discourse of our own law school bubble. A place unknown to most this time last year, has now become a reference point for modern day cultural genocide. Most media publications about Xinjiang, on either end of the political spectrum, follow a fairly methodical and absolutist approach. The left paints a picture of a dark Nazi-esque dystopia; the right parades harmony day posters filled with dancing and plastered smiles. On all accounts, these depictions are voyeuristic. Most of them ignore, if not actively detracting from, critical engagement with the real emotional narratives which underpin the analysis of complex socio-political issues in the region. Almost all of them are unrepresentative of this place I once called home.  Del (centre) with her family in Xinjiang Issue 8, Volume 18 WINSTON BAKER In a shocking turn of events that has left MLS students reeling, Julian Sempill sat down in front of his Zoom D&E class today sporting a ‘Bintang’-branded tank-top. The unprecedented move provoked audible gasps from his audience, followed by cries of anguish. Dr. Sempill, who holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, has hitherto cultivated a reputation for unimpeachable personal grooming. His appearance today has shattered that respectable public image.  Issue 8, Volume 18 SIGOURNEY GOSS Picture this: walking up to the law building, ready to start the 2021 semester. Prepared for another year of breakdowns, fierce debates, and silently crying in the MLS library wondering why you embarked on this endless journey of torture. But as you get closer, something is different. The once stress-riddled faces of law students are now replaced by care-free, smiling students all excited to start class. And then you see it. The porta via sign, ‘coffee for JD students now free, open 24hrs’. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Once drained by the hundreds spent on coffee on top of our crippling uni debt, we are now free to drive ourselves into the ground studying for days on end, with an endless supply of caffeine.  |
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