History Repeats: The Parallels Between Trump and Hitler
In a 2010 interview, renowned political analyst and activist Noam Chomsky likened the political climate of the United States to that of the late Weimar Republic in Germany, right before Adolf Hitler became chancellor on January 30, 1933. Chomsky said...
NSW Chief Magistrate Blasts Defence Lawyers
Police in NSW enjoy the power to ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ - which means they can charge a person with a criminal offence on a mere ‘reasonable suspicion’, and try to gather evidence later. By contrast, police in...
Renewed Calls to Protect Whistleblowers
Senator Nick Xenophon wants to get rid of laws that make it a criminal offence for public sector employees to leak information that is embarrassing to the government. The laws Section 70 of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) (‘the Act’)...
Bail Granted Despite Sexual Assault Convictions
A judge in Downing Centre District Court has granted bail to a Sydney masseur after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a female client. Anthony Theodosiou pleaded not guilty to five counts of indecent assault and three of...
World Leaders Remove Women’s Rights
Social media went into overdrive this week when a photo of newly-appointed US President Donald Trump signed anti-abortion legislation at his desk, surrounded by a group of male staff. Many believe the stroke of Trump’s pen will result in higher...
RIP Presumption of Innocence: Juries May Be Informed of Past Convictions
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released model legislation on November 25 last year to amend the Evidence Act. The draft bill aims to allow for the broader admissibility of tendency and coincidence evidence. The proposed amendments would mean...
Government to Deport Alleged Apex Gang Members
According to Victoria police, a good way to deal with the state’s crime problem is to deport young adult gang members. A parliamentary body is also considering whether those under the age of 18 can also be turfed out of...
Removing Condom During Sex is Rape
One man’s life will never be the same after being convicted of rape for secretly removing a condom during sex with a woman he had met online. The 47-year old French man and his companion, a Swiss woman, met on...
NSW Court Rules that Identification Based Partly on a Media Report is Admissible
A riot broke out in the Fowler Compound of Villawood Detention Centre on April 20, 2011. What initially began as a rooftop protest against conditions in the centre by a handful of detainees, soon escalated into a chaotic disturbance involving about...
Officer Refuses to Show Driver the Reading of Speed
A NSW police officer who pulled over a Sydney motorist over for allegedly speeding has been filmed refusing to show the driver the speed gun reading, then claiming the vehicle is faulty due to a wobbly seat. Zia Yilda was...
