Low and computers The explosive development of computer technology has challenged many accepted legal principles and practices. At the same time, the computing Both these sets of issues will be ex­ Psychology study suggests: profession itself faces a whole new plored. in a major national conference spectrum of legal problems, for many at Monash University on May 24·25. of which there are no adequate prece­ The conference has been sponsored dents. by the Australian Computer Society, Meteon should the Law Council of Australia, and the Law Reform Commission. It will be opened by the Commonwealth At· . performance the general impact of the torney General, Mr Ellicott. be extended Metcon intersection control program Among those taking part will be has been positive. lawyers, computing experts, bankers, To increase road safety the Meteon traffic control "In both perception of the task and accountants, politicians and public system should be extended to every intersection in the performance in the driving environ­ servants. ment there was evidence of 8 signifi­ One of the principal speakers will be operating area, a report by a team ofMonash researchers cant increase in the ability to an­ suggests. the chairman of the Law Reform Com­ t icipate the behaviour of other drivers mission, Mr Justice M. D. Kirby, The team, the Monash University chology department, conducted its and in restraint in the performance of who will speak on 'Data bases and .high risk manoeuvres, possibly at­ Human Facwrs Group, has found that study of driver behaviour both before privacy~. tributable in part to some improve­ Metcon is working effectively as 8 and after the implementation of Other major topics listed for discus­ safety measure in reducing driver un­ Metcon. The study was supported by ment in continuity of traffic flow. sion include: "This was indicated both in certainty about what other drivers will lhe Federal Department of Transport. • 'Impacts of computers on do at an intersection. I t was conducted in two parts. systematic allocalion of priority w the democratic forms of government': The trouble is, the report claims, First. discreetly placed TV mBin road driver at controlled in­ Professor C. G. Weeramantry drivers are applying Meteon rules to cameras allowed direct observation of tersections and in a general decrease or (Monash Law Faculty). lack of significant change in overtaking inappropriate sjtuations such &8 un­ driver behaviour along selected seg­ • 'Evidentiary uses of computer­ controlled intersections and those still ments of an inner suburban radial road behaviour. based. information'; Mr John Traill governed by "give way to the right" carrying traffic in and out of the city "On the other hand, there was a QC (Law Council of Australia). signs. and a cross-town road carrying traffic significant increase in multiple vehicle • 'Protection of intellectual The report calls for consistency and from one radial to another. overtaking at several sites under condi­ property': Mr J. C. Lahore (Monash urges that Meteon should be extended Secondly, 1000 Melbourne-area lions of high stress (peak hour traffic Law Faculty). to all intersections in the operating drivers participated in a questionnaire load hour); this is a tendency to watch • 'Computers and law enforce­ both before the program was fully es· with some concern." area "as fast as resources permit". The principal investigator in the ment': Dr C. J. Bellamy (Director, .The Metcon system has been tablished and after one year of opera­ Monash University Human Factors Monash Computer Centre). operating for two yean now. It meant tion. Group is Dr T. J. TrIggs. senior lec­ • 'Impact of technology on the legal the phasing out of the "give way w the The questionnaire called for deci­ lurer in psychology. Associated with profession': Professor D. Whalan ight" rule and its replacement by a ~ions to he made in mock traffic situa­ him is Professor R. W. Cumming. (Faculty of Law, Australian National system of priority roads. Side roads are tions and also included questions Also on the team are Dr R. University). now controlled by "give way" or "stop" designed to determine the level of McKelvey, senior research fellow, and • 'Auditing and computer aystems': signs and road markings. driver confidence in the system. (pictured above) Mr W. K. Mare. Mr Re" Israel (Price, Waterhouse and The Monash University Human In its conclusions the report states: senior technical officer; and Mi•• P. Co.) and Mr Ron Stride (Fell and Factors Group. 8 unit of the pay- "With respect to driver orientation and H. Wisdom, ~esearch assistant. 'ltarkey). WINTER 1977: a time for warm woollies. preoccupations with 'trivia,' an almo.,t criminal perhaps, so long as they know theY're being Aussie Rules football. the WiIllams Com­ pursuit of knowledge for its own sake - and, for punished for their sins. mittee .•• and a new round of that other . extra measure, some good old·fashioned bludging. Inflation would go down, employment would go time-honored Australian pastime: uni­ Many. if not m08t, of the accusations are up, and most of our social, economic and industrial bashing. demonstrably superficial, inadequate, ill­ problems would evaporate along with the deficit researched, inte.mperate and, often, just plain silly. The WiIliaDUI Commlttee will soon be settling If only somebody would empty out all the 'cod­ down in earnest w plot the future course of poet· dled eggheads' and 'pampered studenta' who infest secondary education in Australia. our seats of higher learning. Concurrently. the Uoiveraltlee Colllllliulon I And put tbem to work. will be preparing its recommendations w the Oil! 10 be til Uni. wilen. government on how the educational cake should be • In this issue, 'Reporter' summarises Monash's cut up in the forthcoming triennium. own (invited) interim submi88ion to the Williams Already one thing is certain: neither the Wil· win,. tomes! Committee (the University hopes welpand on this liams Committee nor the government will want for when the Committee sittings begin). advice from all manner of experts - inside and • There's also an abridged report of the Univer­ sity's submission to the Universities Commiseion, (particularly) outside the ivy-clad walls of But it's probably pointlesa w try w respond - setting out Monash's shorter.term hopes and ex­ academia. publicly, at least. The almost certain conaequence pectations for 1978.80. Almost daily now, as the anti-education would be a further charge - the ultimate, un- • And to round out the feature, there's a selec­ bandwagon gets rolling, we're treated to new answerable, indictment: academic paranoia! tion of recent writings and utterances on the revelations about the scandalous misuse of public Still, it does sometimes seem 'that our critics are money that is represented by the universities and convinced that the world would be a better place if ' respective roles of universities and colleges. the CAEs. There are allegations of empire­ the universities - and their partners in crime, the building, self-seeking, nest-feathering, unhealthy CAEs - were just cut back to size. Any size, It begin. on page 6, .::==:::::.::==:::::. I Professor hits the "cruel use" of animals In• experiments A professor of philosophy at Monash University has spoken out against a lack of consideration for the welfare of animals used in scientific experiments, He has criticised the sometimes He continued: "Scientists make total lack of awaren... that the inflic­ decisions and their decisions have tion of pain and death on a non-human ethical significance. Even the lCientiBt animal !aises any ethical question. who is moot dedicated to pursuing H~ is Profellor Peter Slnler, 'pure' research haa, by that decision, • author of the book Animal expressed his ethical values; and when IJberation_ Profe08Or Singer delivered he asks the taxpayer to support him in a Science Faculty lecture recently on hi. pursuit he ask. the government to the topic, Ethics and Science. endorse thooe valu... There was a preeaing need for all in­ "We must not forget that wh~n ' the volved in the scientific use of animals government providea money for pure - both students and staff - to con­ research it is providing money that - Prof...or Peter Singer .. "milliont. of anima" die n"dleuly" sider the ethic. of what they were do­ might have gone towards hoopitals, - ing, he told his audience. schools and social services. Millions of animals were dying in "When research is applied rather laboratories often in the course of than pure, ethical considerations come trivial experiments or pointle88 into the end for which the research is , teaching demonetratioll8. Quite often intended. SOUNDED they were made to go through discom­ "Once again, the acientist cannot CortI strese and sometimes even acute evade respoll8ibility by claiming that pain before they died. he merely provides the means and it is He said: "The fact that a being is up to the politician to decide whether ON PHOTOCOPYING not a member of our species is no to u .. what the scientist has provided. reason to give less consideration to ita "This is a very dubious kind of If welfare· 8uch as it is • than we give to ethical position unplOll88lltJy reminis­ you're in the habit of counting "Theee are usually labelled as hazar­ members of our own species." cent of Eichmann's defence of himself copies with a moi.tened lin..... ­ dous if used in confined spaces and are take care with photocopIed .heete_ if Profes.or Singer was talking in 888 mere efficient bureaucrat canying more 80 the solvent is handled or The solvents used in copying and decanted in an unprofessional manner course of 8 diacuS8ion on whether out orders. science could do without ethic8. 'INor is it just in the purpose of his or printing machines can cause harm if guch as allowing the 801vent to be He asked the question: "If 8cience her work that the scientist must be transferred to the mouth.