The Wire

Max Stuart was an Aboriginal man who was sentenced to death back in the fifties for the rape and murder of a young girl. It became a cause celebre because of the unjust way in which he was treated. He was eventually pardoned by the Queen and his case led to important changes to the rules of evidence that protect the rights of the accused. Even though there have been several books and movies about the case over the years it’s about to be dissected again at a high profile forum in Adelaide next month, with human rights lawyer Geoffrey RobertsonQC as the guest. Organiser and civil rights lawyer George Mancini says it’s timely to raise the story again because of the new terrorism powers and their potential to curtail hard-won freedoms.