Latest news with #MelbourneLawSchool
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Noble savage' and ‘ritual spearings': Melbourne University race row re-ignites
Melbourne University has offered counselling to staff and students after a racially charged email from an academic at the prestigious institution went public. University officials say the material written by law school academic Eric Descheemaeker in 2023 was leaked and posted around the Parkville campus this week, and that it may have upset or offended people who read it. The law professor wrote to his boss, Matthew Harding, who was then dean of the law school, in August 2023 in response to news of an Indigenous cultural safety review, which Descheemaeker described as 'an ideological re-education camp'. 'Celebrating the 'noble savage' is already the main, if not exclusive, thing [Melbourne Law School] appears to exist for – with just a bit of space to spare for every possible sexual or gendered minority vying for claims to victimhood,' Descheemaeker wrote. The cultural safety review at Melbourne Law School was ordered after a series of resignations of Indigenous academics, culminating in the high-profile departure of former Northern Territory discrimination commissioner Eddie Cubillo from his role as associate dean of the nation's top-ranked law school, which he described as 'the most culturally unsafe place I've worked'. Loading Descheemaeker, who is also a visiting research fellow at Oxford University, claimed in his email to Harding that it was 'Blak activists' who were dictating the direction of the school. 'They have made us start every meeting with ritual prayers,' Descheemaeker wrote. 'Their (non-existing) claims to land are now 'acknowledged' about every 10 feet in our corridors. They want me to teach that Australian law is only 'settler law' and that there exists a rich body of 'indigenous law' alongside (what are indigenous private-law remedies, I wonder. Ritual spearings?).'
The Age
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘Noble savage' and ‘ritual spearings': Melbourne University race row re-ignites
Melbourne University has offered counselling to staff and students after a racially charged email from an academic at the prestigious institution went public. University officials say the material written by law school academic Eric Descheemaeker in 2023 was leaked and posted around the Parkville campus this week, and that it may have upset or offended people who read it. The law professor wrote to his boss, Matthew Harding, who was then dean of the law school, in August 2023 in response to news of an Indigenous cultural safety review, which Descheemaeker described as 'an ideological re-education camp'. 'Celebrating the 'noble savage' is already the main, if not exclusive, thing [Melbourne Law School] appears to exist for – with just a bit of space to spare for every possible sexual or gendered minority vying for claims to victimhood,' Descheemaeker wrote. The cultural safety review at Melbourne Law School was ordered after a series of resignations of Indigenous academics, culminating in the high-profile departure of former Northern Territory discrimination commissioner Eddie Cubillo from his role as associate dean of the nation's top-ranked law school, which he described as 'the most culturally unsafe place I've worked'. Loading Descheemaeker, who is also a visiting research fellow at Oxford University, claimed in his email to Harding that it was 'Blak activists' who were dictating the direction of the school. 'They have made us start every meeting with ritual prayers,' Descheemaeker wrote. 'Their (non-existing) claims to land are now 'acknowledged' about every 10 feet in our corridors. They want me to teach that Australian law is only 'settler law' and that there exists a rich body of 'indigenous law' alongside (what are indigenous private-law remedies, I wonder. Ritual spearings?).'
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Escort warns of deadly bedroom trend that's become popular with couples: 'It's scary'
An escort has issued an urgent warning about a potentially deadly bedroom trend that is becoming popular with couples. Katija Cortez, 29, from Sydney, Australia, was only a teenager when she first experienced the 'scary' sex act in an unexpected move from her partner. Now she says those who like to spice things up in the bedroom should avoid choking—a common kink that's known to increase the risk of lethal brain damage. The Australian sex worker has said she has seen a surge in requests for the act and believes this is a result of men watching it in porn. 'When I was younger, a lot of guys had started doing it, which I think definitely came from seeing it in porn. Choking during porn is very, very common,' she told She stressed couples should clearly communicate beforehand to be as safe as possible. 'Just like movies, porn stars are trained professionals working in controlled environments where many things are all agreed upon beforehand. Even porn actors discuss dos and don'ts before a scene,' she said. She added: 'It needs to be understood that this particular kink can be scary and should not be done without asking.' You don't have to be particularly strong to cause a major injury, according to Professor Heather Douglas of Melbourne Law School. 'Only a small amount of pressure can cause serious harm, and potentially death. 'Particularly concerning is that this behaviour can lead to brain injury and the more often people engage in strangulation, the more likely brain injury is. 'Often, people will be unaware of this.' It comes as 35 per cent of 16-34 year-olds reported being strangled or choked at least once during consensual sex, according to a recent poll. Some 50 per cent of those who engaged in the act said they have a visible neck injury after. Women who had been choked four times over the previous 30 days experienced changes in their brain structures that affected ability to perform memory tasks, according to research by Dr Debbie Herbinick, a sexual and reproductive health specialist. The act of choking restricts blood flow to the brain, which can cause it to stop operating at normal capacity immediately. If the oxygen deficiency continues, it can suffer necrosis, or tissue death, within five minutes, leading to brain damage. Even just 10 seconds of choking can cause a person to pass out, studies have shown.
