Should ASIO be Trusted with even More Power?
The ASIO officer drew a ‘Y’ in the sand with a stick. He looked across at the 21-year-old university student and pointed to the intersection of the Y. He said: “We’ve got two choices. We can go down the difficult...
Reducing Repeat Drink Driving: Mandatory Interlock Licences for High Range and Repeat Drink Driving are on the Horizon
Drink driving is a prevalent and concerning safety issue on our roads. The statistics and research for drink driving overwhelmingly point to it’s dangers – including the risk of property damage, serious injury and death on our roads. Despite countless...
Suppression Orders – How Do They Work?
The ICAC suppressed the emails between Peta Credlin, Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s chief of staff, and Paul Nicolaou, the former chief fundraiser for the NSW Liberal Party, earlier this month after lawyers raised concerns that the information contained within them...
Fraud in the Banking World – Do the penalties fit the crime?
A report recently released by the Australian Centre for Financial Studies criticises the penalties for corporate fraud in the banking world as being too lenient and not enough of a deterrent to reduce crime. This report focuses mainly on superannuation and...
Recent AVO Breach Stories
Breaching an AVO can lead to serious repercussions, especially if it involves violence. But there is little consistency in the penalties that are imposed. Many real life stories of AVO breaches show that those who are are guilty of contravening...
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody: The Need for Alternative Sentences
Questions have been raised about the safety of prisoners in custody, particularly those who are Aboriginal, after a number of recent deaths of people who were being held for minor offences. In NSW, 39-year-old Stanley Lord died of a heart...
Can I get Legal Aid in Nowra?
The outcome of a court case can have serious consequences. It may mean that your freedom or access to your children are at stake. But what if you can’t afford an expensive criminal defence lawyer? Not everyone can! Which is...
What Rights do Shop Assistants or Security Guards have to Search my Bag?
It is not uncommon upon leaving a store for a request to be made to check your bags, either by a security guard, or the retail staff. While being treated like a potential thief is never pleasant, do you have...
Torture is to be ruled out under Proposed Terrorism Laws
We recently published a blog looking at some of the implications of the National Security Legislation Amendment Bill. This Bill exempted ASIO officials from criminal charges and civil liability in some circumstances – ones that could include the use of...
Police Hacking in Australia: A Case of Breach of Privacy?
Recent documents published by WikiLeaks have revealed that over the past three years, the NSW Police Force has spent in excess of $2 million on software and technology to enable them to hack into people’s computers. It is believed that...
