Police Want Corruption Hearings to be Private
As discussed in a previous blog, the vast majority of court hearings in Australia are open to the public - which is important to promote transparency in the justice system. But two Victorian police officers who are facing multiple allegations...
The Evolving Legal Status of Aboriginals in Australia
High Court Justices Deane and Gaudron famously acknowledged how the law allowed extreme prejudice suffered by Indigenous Australians in Mabo v Queensland: “The official endorsement, by administrative practice and in judgment of the courts, of those two propositions [of terra...
Don’t Get High on Your Own Supply
There are many stories about ingenious criminal masterminds - people who are able to plan elaborate schemes and get away with it, often making vast sums of money in the process. On the other hand, there are those who might...
The Role of a Police Prosecutor
If you have never been charged with a criminal offence, going to court can be a stressful and intimidating experience. Many facing court for the first time are confused about who will be prosecuting them. The prosecutor will not be...
0.05 Alcohol Limit for Drink Driving: Has Australia Got it Right?
In Australia, drivers are required to maintain a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of under 0.05% (i.e. 0.05 grams of alcohol per 100 mL of blood). Readings of 0.05 to 0.079 are classified as ‘low range’, readings between 0.08 and 0.149...
AFP Puts Victims’ Lives at Risk
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is billed as Australia’s primary federal law enforcement agency, responsible for keeping the community safe from harm. With an annual budget of almost a billion dollars and close to 7,000 employees, the Australian taxpayer would...
Woman’s Day Magazine: Facilitating Revenge Porn?
Woman’s Day magazine has published photographs of Collingwood AFL players, Travis Cloke and Dane Swan, in nude, sexually suggestive poses. The magazine says the players sent the images to two women – who are not their partners – about a...
Hero Cop Down and (Almost) Out
Sadly, not all police officers act with the level of professionalism and integrity that we expect of the force. But while several instances of police misconduct have made the headlines recently, there are also many officers who go above and...
Police Accused of Excessive Force as Arrest Video Goes Viral
The Queensland Police Union (QPU) has defended a police officer who was filmed pushing a mother to the ground during the arrest of her son at their Brisbane home over the weekend. The QPU says the officer acted “entirely appropriately” despite...
Life Sentences Without Parole: A Violation of Human Rights?
In his research paper from this month’s Human Rights Law Review, Andrew Dyer, a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney, argues that not having a statutory charter of rights means Australia has been left without...
