Judges Behaving Badly: Poor Judicial Temperament
‘Judicial temperament’ describes a judge or magistrate’s emotional responses within the courtroom and general attitude towards those within it, as well as to the law and legal process. A judicial officer with an good temperament is fair, patient, calm, unbiased, and...
Police Body Cameras Rarely Used
In November 2015, Queensland Police hosted a large-scale media launch for the first stage of a $6 million state-wide rollout of body cameras. At the time, the initiative was hailed as a “VERY. BIG. DEAL”, with hopes the devices would...
Big Tobacco Will Pay for its Day in Court
Tobacco giant Philip Morris has been ordered to pay the Australian Government millions of dollars in legal costs, after its failed bid to kill off plain packaging. Australia’s plain packaging tobacco laws are some of the toughest in the world,...
NSW Police ‘Shoot First and Ask Questions Later’
The NSW Police Force Handbook is meant to be the gospel when it comes to policing in our state. It is a comprehensive, 518 page document which provides information, advice and guidance on practically every aspect of policing. The publicly...
NSW Government Silences Animal Rights Activists
Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim ‘Ag-gag’ laws prohibit individuals, including animal rights activists, from filming or photographing animal agricultural practices on farms and in slaughterhouses. The laws are supposed protect our agricultural industry, but their practical effect is to inhibit...
It’s Queensland’s Turn to ‘Lock Out’ Unsuspecting Patrons
By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim Sydney’s lockout laws signalled the death of many well-known bars, clubs and restaurants in the CBD and Kings Cross, with some labelling them “religious ideology gone made” and an “international joke thanks to the...
Sex Toy Mistaken for Bomb
Police raided a house in south west Sydney recently and found an object they suspected of being a bomb. But it wasn’t until a major police station had been evacuated, five police officers had been taken to hospital, and a man...
Law Firm and Aussie Icon Targeted by Hackers
Chocolate production has come to a halt at the Cadbury factory in Tasmania, after the company fell victim to the latest global cyber-attack. The ransomware has affected the company’s entire IT system, stopping even the production line. A photo of...
Breaking News: Prisoner on the Run
It has been reported that fifty-year old David Mellis, a minimum security inmate, is on the run after escaping from Long Bay Correctional Centre shortly after 11am this morning. Minimum security inmates are often permitted to work in the grounds...
Dutton Settles Asylum Seeker Claim But Denies Responsibility
The Federal Government has agreed to pay $70 million to asylum seekers who suffered physical and psychological harm on Manus Island. In a class action brought by 1,905 detainees held between 2012 and 2016, the plaintiffs alleged the government had falsely...
