2017 List of Senior Counsel Appointments Causes Controversy
The 2017 list of Senior Counsel (SC) appointments has been released by the NSW Bar Association, and it’s noteworthy for at least two reasons: Firstly, it’s the smallest number of ‘silks’ appointed in more than two decades. A ‘silk’ is...
Can Police Demand the Password to My Phone or Computer?
Many will recall last year’s battle between the United States Justice Department and technology giant Apple, whereby the former spent millions of dollars trying to force the latter to unlock the IPhone of a gunman allegedly involved in the San...
Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad to Shut Down as Police Target “Silent Crimes”
The NSW Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad (MEOCS) was established in April 2006 in the wake of the December 2005 Cronulla Riots, which was the culmination of rising tensions between the Lebanese and Anglo-Australian communities. The predecessor of the MEOCS...
Facial Recognition Database Could Lead to Wrongful Arrests
State and territory leaders have agreed to hand over driver licence photos to enable the federal government to create a national database for biometric face-matching. It is claimed the technology will be able to instantly ‘match’ CCTV images with those...
Government Again Uses Threat of Terrorism to Justify Greater Control
State and territory leaders agreed this week to disclose driver licence photos to the federal government so it can create a national face-recognition database. At the COAG security meeting, the premiers also agreed to a set of new federal laws,...
WA Police Criticised for Using Excessive Force Against Indigenous Australians
On September 27, a 35-year-old Aboriginal woman called WA police to report a family violence incident at her Joondalup house. On arriving at the residence, the attending officers ran a background check on the mother-of-five and arrested her for fine default....
Sydney Lawyer Accused of Insurance Fraud
Marcel Joukhador was admitted as a NSW lawyer on 14th July 2000. He was later employed for several years as a solicitor with Thomas Booler Lawyers. On 4th March 2010 while still employed at the firm, Mr Joukhdor was formally...
The Legacy of Blackbirding: An Interview with WASSIUC President Jacintha Bezgovsek
On August 17 1863, a ship called the Don Juan arrived in Moreton Bay, Queensland carrying 67 men from a group of islands known as the New Hebrides, which is now the Republic of Vanuatu. These Pacific Island people were brought...
The Suspicious Death in Custody of Tane Chatfield
Tane Chatfield was found unconscious in his cell at Tamworth Correctional Centre just after 9am on September 20. Two days later, he died in hospital. The Corrective Services investigation unit announced that the death of the 22-year-old father-of-one was “not...
The Law Treats De Facto Partners Differently to Married Couples
It is frequently claimed by opponents of same-sex marriage that homosexual couples already enjoy the same legal rights as those who are married. But that is not actually the case - there are a range of laws which clearly distinguish...
