Your Domestic Violence Leave Entitlements
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) introduced unpaid domestic violence leave earlier this year, changing the workplace entitlements of millions of workers on modern awards. From the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2018, these employees were given...
Ambos Under Attack: Paramedics Twice as Likely as Police to be Assaulted
In the wake of a spate of violent attacks on paramedics and emergency service workers, the Health Services Union (HSU) is calling for frontline staff to be fitted with body cameras in an attempt to deter would-be offenders and capture...
Should Players Face Charges for On-Field Assaults?
The recent ‘king-hit’ by West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff has triggered debate about whether on the field violence that is outside the rules of the game should result in charges for assault. Mr Gaff broke the jaw of Fremantle player...
Citizens’ Group to Fight Police Corruption
Many believe the culture of misconduct in the Queensland Police Force (QPS) is worse than ever before, even poorer than prior to the state’s 1987 Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption. Despite recommendations for better accountability mechanisms, police in Queensland -...
NSW Police Force Ordered to Pay $124,000 over Brutal Arrest
New South Wales taxpayers will once again foot the bill after an officer unlawfully and brutally arrested a 17-year old outside a bakery at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains. A District Court judge has ordered the government to pay the...
NSW Police Officer May Face Criminal Charges Over Brutal Assault
The Byron Bay police officer who struck a naked teenager 18 times with his baton during a violent arrest could lose his job and potentially face assault charges over the incident. In his closing submission at the second of two...
Defendants in Domestic Violence Cases Prohibited from Questioning Complainants
Currently, self-represented litigants in the Family Court are permitted to cross-examine opponents, even in circumstances where there has been an allegation of domestic violence. However, the Turnbull government has drafted laws aimed at stopping this. Australian attorney general Christian Porter...
NSW Police Face Brutality Hearing over Brutal Assault of Naked Teen
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) has called for a second public hearing into the brutal arrest of a naked sixteen year old boy in the Northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay. The Commission is investigating the use...
Prison Guards Caught Assaulting Inmates in WA Prisons
The Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) has released graphic footage of inmates being beaten and pepper sprayed by guards in the state’s prisons. The footage, taken in 2016 and 2017, has been released as part of investigations into...
What is Common Assault?
The word ‘assault’ often conjures up images of a physical altercation between two or more people. And whilst pushing or striking another person without legal justification will amount to an assault, the offence of common assault in NSW does not...
