The Offence of Assisting a Suicide
In the days before Christmas, Western Australia became the second state in Australia to legalise voluntary assisted dying. More than 180 hours were spent debating the legislation in parliament, but under the final laws, terminally ill adults in pain and...
Dutton Slammed for Locking Up a Blind, Mentally Ill Refugee for a Decade
A decision made by the Federal Court of Australia on Christmas Eve could have huge implications for large numbers of refugees locked up by the Australian government. For many years, there have been concerns about the arbitrary power the Home...
What is Stalking in New South Wales?
The SBS Insight program featured a segment some time ago about the nature and prevalence of stalking in Australia, with alleged offenders, complainants and police officers relating their experiences of such conduct and the criminal justice system’s treatment of it....
The Offence of Public Mischief in NSW
A professor at the University of Technology, Sydney is facing court for allegedly making a complaint to police that she was the victim of harassing letters, when she actually sent the letters to herself. Police arrested and charged UTS professor...
The Offence of Sexual Assault
Former Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein has been charged in Los Angeles with felony offences including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. Charges were laid just hours after Mr Weinstein appeared...
The Offence of Causing Bushfires in New South Wales
It has been reported that a 79-year old man from the south coast of South Australia was arrested on Saturday, 4 January 2020 and charged with four counts of intentionally causing a bushfire. Police allege the man lit four scrub...
The Law, Defences and Penalties for Making a False Accusation in NSW
It has been reported that a 19-year old British student is facing up to 12 months in prison after being convicted of ‘public mischief’ for falsely claiming that 12 Israeli men gang-raped her in Ayia Napa, a resort town on...
Is It a Crime to Import Cigarettes into Australia?
The tax on tobacco in Australia is astronomical, pushing the average price of a cigarette packet beyond forty dollars in recent months. The tax has been justified on public health grounds, and has been partially responsible for significantly reducing the...
Lockout Laws to be Relaxed in Sydney
January doesn’t just signal the start of a new year, it’s also when a range of new laws will commence in New South Wales. Rollback of lockout laws For many late-night business operators and socialisers, the rollback of lock out...
Court Reduces Sentence for Customs Officer Turned Tobacco Smuggler
It was around March 2017 when ex-Australian Border Force (ABF) customs official Johayna Merhi and current ABF senior customs officer Craig Eakin agreed to assist the Jomaa crime syndicate with their illicit large-scale tobacco importation operation. Unbeknownst to the pair...
