Blurred Lines: Consent in Sexual Assault Cases
Sexual assault is defined by the law as having sexual intercourse with another person without their consent, and knowing that they have not consented. In many sexual assault trials, questions are raised about whether the person charged honestly believed that...
Should Teenagers Who ‘Sext’ Each Other be Considered Criminals?
Although sexting has been around for years now, many teenagers are not aware of the legal implications of exchanging explicit images, and run the risk of damaging their futures as a result. The use of mobile phones is believed to...
Psychiatric Clinic Knowingly Employs Child Sex Offender: Should People Be Given a Second Chance?
One Dutch psychiatric clinic which offers help from a Christian perspective has made headlines because of its decision to employ a psychiatrist who has a conviction for possessing a large quantity of child pornography. In 2012, he was found to...
What Happens When The Media Wrongly Accuses an Innocent Person?
Most of us know that we can’t always believe what we read in the newspapers, but what happens when reckless reporting harms an innocent person’s reputation? Fairfax Media, the publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald, recently found out how costly...
What is Sexual Incitement?
All of us are aware that touching someone sexually without permission is against the law and carries harsh penalties, but you may not realise that encouraging someone else to commit a sexual offence can also lead to criminal charges and...
‘Elastic Heart’, ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’– Is the Sexualisation of Children in the Media Acceptable?
If you’ve been lurking the web lately, you may have seen or heard some of the public backlash against Sia’s controversial new video clip. The 39-year-old Aussie singer, who hails from Adelaide, attracted criticism last week when she released the...
Citizens Catching Criminals: A Good Or Bad Thing? The Tinder Experiment
There’s no doubt that the increased use of technology in our everyday lives has in many ways been a good thing. It’s now easier and faster than ever before to shop online, catch up with friends and take care of...
Sex By Deception – Is Lying To Get Sex Considered A Crime In NSW?
Let’s say a man pretends to be very independent, wealthy and successful in order to seduce a woman into bed – should he be guilty of an offence if he is really unemployed and lives with his mum? Or how...
Sydney Siege – How Was It Allowed to Happen?
The Sydney Siege has raised more questions than it has answered. If Man Haron Monis had survived Monday’s heinous crime, the charges he could have faced may have included detain for advantage, kidnapping, weapons charges, terrorism, murder - and the...
Mandatory Indefinite Sentencing – A Good Idea?
How would you feel if you were sent to prison for an indefinite period of time? Such a scenario had been proposed by the Victoria state government before its election defeat over the weekend In a bid for popularity, the...
