Should the Government Introduce ‘Pandemic Leave’?
COVOID-19 effectively brings Australia to a grinding halt, workplace laws are set to change to provide more entitlements to employees in the face of ‘pandemic’. The Fair Work Commission has announced plans to give unpaid pandemic leave to any Australians...
What is the Offence of Drug Supply in New South Wales?
It has been reported that at around 1.15pm, Thursday 3 April 2020, a 37-year old man from Lane Cove in the lower northern suburbs of Sydney attended a hotel on Elizabeth Street in the Sydney CBD to deliver a box...
Innocent Refugees Denied COVID-19 Protection
“This is coronavirus torture. It will come sooner or later,” Mostafa Azimitabar made certain, as he spoke over the phone from his room at the Mantra Hotel. “If one person catches this virus, all of these refugees will get it...
The Legal Obligations of Parents Whose Children Are Learning From Home
A lot of Mums and Dads have just found out that school teachers do a very difficult job. Teaching your kids to tie their shoelaces, or cook a meal, or clean the windows, might be one thing, but actually guiding...
All Local Court Bail Applications to Be Heard in the Downing Centre
The past few weeks have seen drastic changes to the way in which criminal cases are dealt with in the Children’s, Local, District and Supreme Courts. On 2 April 2020, the Chief Magistrate of New South Wales, Judge Graeme Henson,...
Stop COVID Aboriginal Deaths in Custody: An Interview With the ALS’s Makayla Reynolds
Right now, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, people are being told not to leave their homes unless it’s a necessity. And authorities nationwide are enforcing these new regulations, ensuring compliance via threat of steep penalties. Yet, despite the potential...
The Offence of Failing to Comply With a Public Health Order
It has been reported that at around 9.20am on Wednesday, 1 April 2020, a 41-year old woman from Queanbeyan in south eastern New South Wales was walking along a street in Cooma when she allegedly “stepped in front of another...
“It’s a Crime to Report a Crime”: An Interview With Lawyer Bernard Collaery
During the Second World War, Australia deployed more than 1,400 troops to the island of Timor to curb the approaching Japanese forces in the region. And our nation’s guerrilla operations would not have been so successful without the support of...
COVID-19: The New Restrictions on Gatherings and Movement
In recent weeks, several pieces of rights-eroding legislation have been rushed through state and federal parliaments, and orders made under broad powers contained in existing legislation, which are ostensibly to promote public safety but at the same time give unprecedented...
COVID-19: Sweeping Changes to Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) Procedures
As COVID-19 continues to impact on the community, the Chief Magistrate of the Local Court NSW, Judge Graeme Henson continues to make new arrangements to protect court users. The latest arrangements relate to Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs) and will start...
