Police & FOI Work Together to Block Citizens’ Access to Their Own Data
It has been reported that the Queensland Freedom of Information Office (QFOI) and the State’s Police Force (QPS) are working together to prevent citizens from accessing their own personal data. Restricting access to information The Queensland Police Records and Information...
What is Grievous Bodily Harm in Criminal Law?
17-year old Brae Lewis and his 15-year old girlfriend, Kyesha Finemore, had a tumultuous relationship involving frequent arguments and even physical violence. But on a fateful day in May 2016, the level of violence went to a whole other level....
Laws Empowering Government to Revoke Citizenship May be Unconstitutional
The Morrison government announced late last year it would be passing legislation to lower the threshold for stripping Australians suspected of terrorist activity of their citizenship. The Federal Labor Party has now signalled its intention to oppose the measure after...
Government Breaks Promise to Crackdown on Tax Avoidance by Multi-Nationals
The federal government has broken a promise to establish a public register of overseas shell companies owned by companies operating in Australia. The proposal was intended to assist in the detection and prosecution of illegal activities such as tax evasion...
Court Blocks Hunter Valley Coal Mine
The recent decision by the Land and Environment Court of NSW to reject an application to build a coal mine in the Upper Hunter Valley has been hailed as “momentous” and is expected to be “profoundly influential” on future projects...
Whataboutism: Avoiding Topics by Raising Irrelevant Ones
“Whataboutism” is a rhetorical manouvre often used by those seeking to avoid the topic at hand, and can frequently be seen in the comments section of articles posted on social media. An example of the technique is where an article...
Criminal Lawyers Suspected of “Appalling” Misconduct
It was revealed late last year that a criminal defence barrister in Victoria – referred to as ‘EF’ - was paid as an informant to provide police with information about 386 people that led to their arrest, including her own...
Officer Sent to Prison for Illegally Using Police Database
Adrian Moore was a 28-year veteran of the WA police force. He was even nominated for the award of ‘Western Australian Police Officer of the Year” in 2011. But in a dramatic fall from grace, the former senior constable has...
Revenge Porn Laws in Australia
The rise of the internet has also led to the proliferation of new forms of abuse and harassment. Revenge porn is a particularly common form of ‘image based abuse’. The following outlines what is encompassed by the term, both NSW...
Man Calls Police Over Maccas Mix-Up
53-year old Leslie McDonagh says he suffers from a “severe allergy” to onions. So the Englishman was less than impressed when the Big Mac he ordered from a McDonald’s store in Manchester one Friday night came with onions after he...
