Should Terrorism Suspects Get the ‘Benefit of the Doubt’?
In the wake of the first report into the Lindt café siege, Prime Minister Tony Abbott made an anticipated speech on Monday about law reform measures that the nation will adopt in its fight against terrorism. On the same day,...
Save Izzy! A Family’s Quest to Save Their Dog’s Life
Legal history has been made in Victoria after a family was given permission to appeal their pet pet dog’s death sentence to the High Court of Australia. The Staffordshire terrier, named Izzy, escaped from the family home and bit a...
Illegal Downloaders Could be Bullied into Paying Settlements
People who illegally downloaded the movie “Dallas Buyers Club” could face legal action if a bid to obtain the identification details of 4,762 people who downloaded the movie is successful. The owners of the movie have been embroiled in a...
When Can Illegally Obtained Evidence Be Excluded?
Evidence that is being used in a criminal case needs to comply with a range of rules, and there are certainly limits on what can and can’t be used as evidence in a courtroom. The admissibility of evidence in NSW...
Should Police be Allowed to ‘Estimate’ Speed?
Revenue from speeding fines helps to fill state government coffers year-after-year. In the last financial year alone, NSW motorists paid $150 million in speeding fines. Many of those tickets were for going slightly over the speed limit in areas not...
Do I have to turn up to court if I’m pleading guilty?
Several people have recently informed our firm that they took the advice of police and filled out the back of their little yellow ‘court attendance notice’ (CAN), indicated a plea of guilty, then sent it to court only to later...
Should low-range drink drivers get criminal records?
If you have been charged with drink driving, you are certainly not alone. Drink driving, also known as ‘P.C.A.’, is the most common offence in NSW Local Courts, accounting for 20% of all cases. And it may surprise you that...
Bribing the Human Rights Commissioner – Did the Government Act Illegally?
It appears that Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs is fighting yet another battle with the Federal Government. In January, Professor Triggs came under fire after she recommended that an Indonesian man who served his prison time after being convicted of...
Drug Scandal Rocks Football World – Players Stood Down
If you’re a Gold Coast NRL fan, you may have been disappointed to hear that five Titans players were recently stood down from the club following allegations that they were involved in the supply and possession of cocaine. Players Greg...
Should both parents be charged if a baby is shaken to death?
Parents who shake or otherwise fatally injure their children could be convicted even when it isn’t clear which parent is responsible under suggested changes to the law prompted by the violent and tragic death of a baby boy in NSW....
