Firearms in Australia: The Tension Between Ownership and Control
The massacre in Port Arthur in Tasmania on 28 April 1996 was the impetus for the Howard government to pass laws to restrict the ownership of firearms in Australia. But the tension between the ability to own firearms and the...
Politicians Posture as Protectors of the Public, Primarily for Political Purposes
New South Wales premier Chris Minns has supported calls made by other politicians for a parliamentary inquiry to uncover potential victims of the man dubbed the “backpacker killer”, Ivan Milat, who passed away from stomach cancer in 1999 after being...
NSW Government Tightens Working With Children Checks
The New South Wales government is enacting laws which aim to prevent individuals who are seen as posing a risk to the safety of children from working in child-related employment. The enabling law - known as the Child Protection (Working...
Federal Government Introduces Stricter Rules for Childcare Centres in Australia
There has been considerable media reporting in recent times regarding the systemic problems in Australian childcare centres - from rampant neglect, physical and sexual abuse of children, to a lack of training, to insufficient staffing and inadequate staff training, and...
NSW Police Officers Plead Guilty After Brutalising and Degrading Mentally Ill Woman
Two New South Wales police officers have pleaded guilty to criminal offences after their body worn cameras filmed them approaching a naked 48-year old woman who was clearly in the midst of a mental health episode, punching, kicking and stomping...
What Are the Billing Targets for Lawyers in Australia?
A study conducted earlier this year by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) found that first-year lawyers in some of Australia’s biggest law firms are expected to bill 6.5 to 8+ hours a day, which equates to 32.5 to 40+ hours...
Couple Imprisoned for Contempt After Breaching Supreme Court Order
A married couple who reject the rules, regulations and laws that apply across society on the basis they are ‘sovereign citizens’ has been sentenced to 30 days of imprisonment after they continued to publish defamatory material about a lawyer despite...
Sydney Kebab Shop Shooting May Be Linked to Organised Crime
Police say a 26-year old man and 47-year old woman are in a stable condition, and a 25-year old man is in a serious condition, after two masked assailants entered a kebab shop on South Parade in Auburn at about...
Harsh Bail Laws Undermine the Presumption of Innocence, Says NSW Chief Justice
The Chief Justice of New South Wales, Andrew Bell, issued a public statement on 27 May 2025 expressing concerns about the subversion of the presumption of innocence brought about by harsh bail laws in NSW, which has seen a 20%...
Victims of Serious Crime in NSW to Be Informed About Offenders
On 27 May 2025, legislation was passed in New South Wales Parliament which provides victims of serious crime with a range of information about convicted offenders, including the lengths of their prison sentences, parole eligibility, progress through the custodial system,...
