NSW Police Future Crime Program: An Abuse of Power
Since February 2000, NSW police has been carrying out a secretive program to prevent future crime that targets reoffenders and individuals police merely consider to have the potential to commit crimes. The Suspect Targeting Management Plan (STMP) was developed by the...
Domestic Violence Video Statements Aren’t Increasing Convictions
On June 1 2015, NSW became the first Australian jurisdiction to allow pre-recorded videos to be used as evidence in domestic violence cases. The Domestic Violence Evidence-in-Chief (DVEC) reforms allow the evidence in proceedings to be presented in either a video...
Are Your Household Appliances Spying on You?
Baby monitors, your fridge, TV and sport shoes could soon be the focus of new laws amid growing concerns of hacking which can lead to the unauthorised use of images, stalking and fraud offences. The federal government is considering legislation...
NSW Magistrate Charged with Indecent Assault on Teenager
It has been reported that sitting local court magistrate, Graeme Curran, was charged this morning with nine counts of indecent assault on a teenage boy between 1981 and 1983. The 67-year old magistrate is reported to have met detectives from...
Neville Wran’s Daughter Received Lower Sentence Due to Media Attention
A little after 7 pm on 10 August 2014, Brett Fitzgerald opened the door to his ground floor unit at a public housing complex in Redfern, where he lived with Daniel McNulty. It was known by some in the local...
It’s Time to Address Mental Health in the Legal Profession
It can be an incredibly tough job: the pressure of delivering in open court every day, the burden of others’ futures in your hands, several dozen serious cases at any one time, long hours, accessibility around the clock, regular exposure...
Dying With Dignity Laws on the Horizon
Terminally ill Victorians will have the right to take their own lives from 2019 onwards if end-of-life legislation passes through the upper house. Following a four day debate in the Legislative Assembly, a landmark assisted dying bill was approved on...
Decriminalise the Sex Work Industry Now
The second Law and Sex Worker Health (LASH) report was released last Friday. And the study demonstrated overwhelmingly that the criminalisation of the sex work industry continues to negatively impact the health, safety and well-being of sex workers. The initial...
The High Cost of NSW Sniffer Dog Operations
Recently released figures show taxpayers are forking out exorbitant amounts to fund the use of sniffer dogs at music festivals. And despite the evidence police searches increase dangerous drug use at these events, festivalgoers are now the main focus of...
Australia Needs a Bill of Rights: An Interview with MP Andrew Wilkie
Over recent years, both the federal and state governments have enacted countless laws that encroach upon the basic liberties and legal safeguards of Australians. At the national level, the right to privacy has been sacrificed under the federal government’s mandatory metadata...
