FROM THE UTS LSS FROM THE UTS LSS PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT & VPE ADDRESS
6
Welcome back to law school for Spring semester and welcome back to your law school academic journal, The Full Bench. Whether you have picked up a hard copy version or downloaded it online - which would be more appropriate given the theme - the following pages will provide you with an interesting insight into the legal context behind our growing technological world. There is truly nothing that is more current than technology, and as an area that is continually updating, the law is placed in a position whereby it must keep up the pace or risk falling out of line with community practices. This edition canvasses important areas that demonstrate this complex relationship between technology and the law, and such issues will only increase in relevance as we catapult further into the digital age. One need not look further than such mindboggling technological advancements as the ability to print 3D houses, or the exponential growth of Bitcoin as a form of online currency. While we cannot anticipate all legal consequences that will arise out of new technologies, it is crucial for us to be cognisant of the potential difficulties such developments may create in the legal sphere. It is also imperative that we, as members of the legal community, keep the government accountable for their acts or omissions when reform is either enacted or required to respond. First and foremost, I would like to thank our Publications Director, Francesca Elias Arciuli, who coordinated a substantial part of this publication whilst studying overseas. I would also like to thank her support team, The Full Bench Subcommittee, comprising of Emily Meller, Joanna Fisher, Sefakor Dokli and Olivia Kilponen for all their hard work in piecing this together. A special thank you also to Taryn Priadko of the EduPubs Subcommittee, who acted as a guest editor for this edition. I would like to welcome our new designer for this edition, Tom Stoddard, and thank him for the fantastic job he has done. Finally, I thank our incredibly efficient Vice President (Education) Ashleigh Barnes, our sponsors for The
FROM THE UTS LSS VICE PRESIDENT (EDUCATION) Full Bench, specifically the UTS Law Faculty, Henry Davis York and Clayton Utz, and of course, our most valuable resource and the cornerstone of our academic publications, our contributors. Enjoy the read, and while you may no longer marvel at the fact you can read this on an iPad, it is a testament to our changing world and ability of the law to adapt. Kind regards, Lloyd Wood UTS LSS President As technology continues to reshape our lives, and with it our laws, it seemed only fitting to theme Edition Three of The Full Bench titled ‘Byte Me: Technology and the Law’. When having regard to this topic, one thing is certain – change is constant. The digital age and its revolutionary information technology constantly solve and create a host of problems, which the law must react to and respond to appropriately. The following pages will give you insight into the law’s successes and its failings, so sit down and take a byte! I would like to repeat and adopt Lloyd’s words and thank everyone involved in the publication of the third edition of The Full Bench. This journal would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of Francesca Elias Arciuli and her team. All the best, Ashleigh Barnes Vice President (Education)