Union-Busting Legislation Passes Lower House
The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) Bill 2019 has passed the lower house of Federal Parliament, with the Coalition hoping to capitalise on the recent controversy surrounding CFMEU Victoria leader John Setka to gain power to control and...
High Court Challenge Launched Against NSW Police Powers
Three men accused by police of being Rebels Motorcycle Club members - Damien Vella, Johnny Vella and Michael Fetui - have launched legal proceedings in the High Court of Australia against an application by the Commissioner of Police (NSW) under...
The Rules for Changing a Plea from Guilty to Not Guilty
On 30 June 2004, Raymond Wong pleaded guilty before a magistrate in the Sydney Local Court to one count of committing an act of indecency, contrary to repealed section 61N of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). At the time, Wong...
PM Promises to Criminalise Wage Theft
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised that laws will soon be enacted that “deal with criminalising” the worst cases of worker exploitation. During question time, the Opposition quizzed the government on what action it would take to stop restaurants grossly...
The Offence of Sexual Assault in New South Wales
A Sydney doctor has been sentenced to a minimum term of 11 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual offences against 10 patients over a six-month period between September 2016 and March 2017. 62- year old Sharif Fattah...
NSW May Finally Repeal the Crime of Abortion
A bill before parliament will overturn laws that were set down in 1900 which make abortion a criminal offence. New South Wales is the only jurisdiction in Australia that has not yet repealed criminal laws against abortion. But that may...
The Defence of Mental Illness in New South Wales
Being found not guilty by reason of mental illness isn’t just the stuff of good fiction crime novels, as a recent case in the Supreme Court of New South Wales demonstrates. In that case, a 38-year old father who stabbed...
The Offence of Graffiti in New South Wales
A mural depicting a satanic figure hovering over a kneeling, handcuffed George Pell in a prison tracksuit has been removed from privately-owned premises. The mural, created by Australian artist Scott Marsh, was painted on property of owned by Wilson Parking...
The Crime of Inciting Hatred in Australia
A leader of the far-right in Australia, Blair Cottrell, has failed in his appeal against a conviction for inciting hatred, contempt or ridicule against people of the Islamic faith. The offence In September 2017, Mr Cottrell, along with two other...
The Offence of Obtaining a Benefit by Deception
A former senior executive of Seven West Media, the owners of television Channel 7, was granted conditional bail on 25 July 2019 after being charged with multiple offences arising from his alleged misappropriation of $8 million in company funds. 57-year...
