On 3 April 2017, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, delivered her end of mission statement following a two week visit to Australia. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur met with the Law Council as well as Government ministers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives, the Australian National Human Rights Commission and many others. Some of the Special Rapporteur’s conclusions included:

• recommending all cuts to Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander legal services, including those which will take effect later this year, be immediately reverse;
• recommending the inclusion of targets on justice in the Closing the Gap strategy and the development and implementation of a national plan of action to address imprisonment rates;
• encouraging Australia to withdraw its reservation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensure that no children are held together with adults; and
• urging consideration to be given to the development of a comprehensive bill of human rights.

Many of the conclusions of the Special Rapporteur align with the recommendations provided by the Law Council. The Special Rapporteur will present the country mission report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2017.

The Singapore Parliament has passed the Civil Law (Amendment) Bill to allow third party funding in certain categories of dispute resolution proceedings by abolishing maintenance and champerty and stating that third‑party funding contracts are not illegal or contrary to public policy. The Bill establishes a framework for third-party funding, with the detail to be dealt with in regulations of permitted categories. It is expected these categories will initially be international arbitration and related court and mediation proceedings.

Prepared by Mr Cameron Ford, Convenor, ILS Singapore Chapter.

The Law Council congratulates those who were appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia for their commitment and dedication to the legal profession.

• Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Marion Dessau AM
• The Honourable Robert James Ellicott QC
• The Honourable Justice Stephen John Gageler
• Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Catherine Ann Warner AM
• The Honourable Stephen Pendrill Charles QC
• Dr Helen Anne Durham
• The Honourable Justice Mark Samuel Weinberg
• The Honourable Christopher Reginald Wright QC
• Professor Ian Harley Bailey SC
• Mr Alexander Baykitch
• The Honourable Justice Kevin Harcourt Bell
• Professor Sandford Delbridge Clark
• Mr John Matthew Corcoran
• The Honourable Elizabeth Helen Curtain
• Ms Geraldine Anne Daley
• Mr Peter John Garrisson SC
• His Honour Judge Graeme Leslie Henson
• Professor the Honourable Nahum Mushin
• Professor Peter Samuel Zablud RFD
• Mr William Ewe Min Lye

On 10 January 2017, the President officially launched the Singapore Chapter of the International Law Section (ILS). The President-elect of the Australia Bar Association and Deputy Chair of the ILS attended the event in Singapore alongside a number of local Australian lawyers. Mr Cameron Ford, corporate counsel of Rio Tinto in Singapore, and Ms Xi Bing Su, an Associate at Clifford Chance, have been nominated as Chapter Convenor and Chapter Secretary respectively. The Chapter looks forward to a lively year, meeting and hearing from judges and lawyers from Australia and elsewhere. If you are interested in joining the Chapter, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..