Police Blasted over Skye’s Law Tragedy
The issue of how NSW police handle pursuits is back in the spotlight after the Deputy State Coroner strongly criticised the driving of two officers involved in the chase that ended in the death of 19-month-old Sydney toddler Skye Sassine....
Will the National Domestic Violence Scheme be Effective?
The death of 11-year-old Victorian boy Luke Batty at the hands of his father in February 2014 highlighted for many the seriousness and the cost of domestic violence, and sparked a national campaign to protect women and children. More than...
Blaming Actions on Addictions – Setting the Record Straight
The current ‘ice’ epidemic has thrown the legal system into turmoil, with the public outraged that drug users are said to be using their addiction to escape convictions or secure lenient penalties. Some have voiced their concern that if Australia’s...
Should Juries be made Smaller?
Jury trials can be long and expensive and if we are honest, there are few who relish the prospect of being called up for jury duty. But if we don’t want to abolish them altogether, how about making them smaller?...
Vigilantes Taking the Law Into Their Own Hands
If you’ve ever seen the television drama Dexter, you’d know about Dexter Morgan, a troubled young man who leads a double life - working as a blood splatter analyst with the Miami Police Force by day, and as a vigilante,...
Insulting People Due to Race: Should it be Legal?
Just months after ethnic minorities expressed relief about the government’s abandonment of plans to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has now announced that he would support a ‘softer’ proposal that would no longer...
Social Media – Watch What You Say!
Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives - allowing us to connect and express ourselves in a range of ways. But some use social media as a way to vent personal frustrations, without regard to the...
Life Imprisonment for Child Sex Offenders
Convicted child sex offenders will face life in prison under new laws currently before NSW Parliament. NSW Attorney General Gabrielle Upton has introduced a bill to impose the harsher penalty, saying that sentences that handed-down in these cases don’t align...
Would You Be Harder on Crime than a Judge?
Magistrates and judges are often criticised by the general public for being too ‘soft’ when dealing with offenders. For instance, 23-year-old Luke Lazarus was recently sentenced to a minimum of three years imprisonment following a conviction for the sexual assault...
Smoking Cannabis While Pregnant is “My Business”
Meet Billie Jo Wilkie, a 21-year-old from one of the most economically and socially disadvantaged suburbs of Sydney. If you were one of the 935,000 Australians who tuned in to the controversial TV show ‘Struggle Street’, you are probably familiar...
