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...
Should employers be entitled to know about an applicant’s criminal record?
You might remember Jeremy Meeks, the US felon who made international news due to his ‘hot’ mug shots. Meeks became a hit in June 2014 after the Stockton Police Department posted the picture of him on its Facebook page, causing...
What to do if you suspect a police officer is fake
Nobody likes being pulled over by police, but what should you do if you suspect the person standing by the roadside is not a genuine police officer? While it might sound a bit like something out of a movie plot,...
Are Penalties for Insider Trading Tough Enough?
The man behind Australia’s biggest case of insider trading has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Lukas Kamay, 26, will serve a non-parole period of four years and six months after being sentenced in the Victorian...
Helping Migrants Understand the Legal System
Migrants and refugees often come to Australia from war-torn and poverty-stricken countries in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Their birth countries may experience high levels of corruption, with police and government officials willing to turn...
