Is Hate Speech a Crime in Australia?
The perceived tension between free speech and hate speech is a topic of significant controversy and heated debate. Whereas proponents of unfettered free speech argue that a tenet of a healthy, functioning democracy is the freedom to express oneself however...
The Offence of Publicly Threatening or Inciting Violence in NSW
Sunday, 11 December 2005 was a day of national shame for Australia. By midday, around 5,000 Anglo-Australians had converged on Cronulla beach to secure their ‘revenge’ against people of “Middle Eastern descent”, after an alleged altercation on 4 December 2005...
New Laws Against Police Brutality Introduced In the US
In the face of global condemnation, and the nation outraged over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, the US Democrats have introduced sweeping legislation to hold officers accountable for their criminal conduct. Called the Justice in...
Owners of Facebook Pages Can be Liable for Defamatory Posts by Others
When you write something about a person or business online, or even post inappropriate comments, if you don’t choose your words wisely, you risk being sued for defamation. But if someone else writes something on your own social media page,...
The Law, Penalties and Defences for Contaminating Goods in Australia
An Australian distillery has issued an urgent product recall after at least nine of their gin bottles were found to be filled with hand sanitiser. Apollo Bay Distillery, located on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, is yet to explain...
The Offence of Dangerous Driving in New South Wales
A 14-year old boy is faces a string of charges after the stolen car he was allegedly driving crashed into a light pole, killing his four teenage passengers. The tragedy happened in the far north Queensland regional town of Townsville...
The Law, Penalties and Defences for Sexual Intercourse Without Consent
For the past few years, Prince Andrew has been embroiled in allegations that he was a participant in a child sex trafficking network headed by the late American businessman Jeffrey Epstein. US prosecutors have been pursuing the Prince for some...
The Offence of Unlawful Assembly in New South Wales
Tens of thousands of people took to Sydney streets over the weekend after Black Lives Matter protest organisers won a last minute battle in the New South Wales Court of Appeal. The NSW Police Force and NSW Government had joined...
Public Health Orders in New South Wales
Just when you thought COVID-19 restrictions were easing and you could go and have some fun socialising with your mates, Police in New South Wales have announced they’ll be out in force at pubs and clubs across the state to...
Stop Police Brutality: NSW Police Officer Assaults Indigenous Teen
As groups of police officers in the United States put down their weapons and stood alongside protesters railing against the death of black men in custody, video footage emerged of an Indigenous teenager being thrown to the ground by a...
