The Library Bulletin

Volkswagen Australia deny using emissions defeat devices: Class action drags on as experts hint at 2018 decision Legal representatives for the manufacturer defended class action lawsuits in the Federal Court of Australia on Thursday, where the brand looked to protect trade secrets surrounding popular models such as the Volkswagen Golf. Noel Huntley, a barrister acting on Volkswagen's behalf, told a directions hearing in Sydney that "there is no defeat device" present in the manufacturer's cars, something the brand plans to prove later this year. But his claim clashes with earlier statements from Volkswagen Australia, including an October 2015 media release that said "certain diesel vehicles sold in Australia were fitted with software that can affect their emissions during a dynamometer test". Volkswagen made international headlines last year when it admitted that some of its cars were designed to produce unrealistically favourable results during emissions tests before polluting excessively in the real world.

The high court’s decision that the same-sex marriage survey is valid continues the great Australian tradition of making reform protracted and painful, writes David Marr. But change is coming anyway. “One way or another, this year or next, parliament will vote for a change that’s now accepted across the western world. All the court did was leave an obstacle in its path.”