Will meta-data laws catch criminals, or turn civilians into suspects?
Last week, the Federal government’s controversial meta-data laws passed the Senate. The laws require internet and phone service providers (ISPs) to store your meta-data for a period of two years, and to hand that information over to a raft of...
Are Police Misusing their Power to Arrest?
One of our previous blogs discussed the case of a Sydney criminal lawyer who successfully sued the NSW police service after being wrongfully arrested on a train. There have been several other cases of wrongful arrest in NSW in recent...
Becoming a Magistrate or Judge in NSW
Magistrates and judges preside over the courts in NSW and are responsible for making a wide range of decisions about various fields of law. Magistrates sit in the Local Court and are often responsible for presiding over a large number...
How can memory loss affect a criminal case?
Being involved in a traffic accident where people are left injured can be an incredibly traumatic experience, but what if you then find yourself facing a criminal court as a result? Having to defend yourself against serious driving charges can...
Does More Police Mean Less Crime?
The NSW liberal government was returned to power with a comfortable majority over the weekend. If you were following the election campaign, you might have noticed that both Premier Mike Baird and opposition leader Luke Foley engaged in a good...
Should Judges be Chosen by Politicians?
In the latest development in a long-running dispute between members of the Queensland judiciary and Chief Justice Tim Carmody, a retiring Supreme Court justice this week has slammed Carmody’s actions and approach since being appointed to the bench in June...
Catching Criminals: Do Rewards Really Work?
There are around 35,000 people reported missing in Australia each year. While over 99% are eventually found, some remain missing for years - or even decades, leaving their families with many unanswered questions. Many have made the decision to go...
Do police make-up evidence to get convictions?
In NSW, section 317 of the Crimes Act 1900 makes it a criminal offence to tamper with evidence. The section says that anyone who attempts to mislead the court by fabricating false evidence, by making use of false evidence or...
Corruption and Collusion in the Customs Service
Customs officers are entrusted with the important task of keeping our borders safe from undesirable people and potentially harmful or illegal substances and goods. The Department of Customs and Border Protection prides itself on the professionalism of its staff, and...
Cowards Attack Muslim Women
No person should be assaulted while travelling to and from work on public transport, let alone a woman assaulted by a man. But for one Muslim woman, Hina, a routine train journey home from work quickly became a nightmare. Hina...
