Police to Breathalyse Patrons Inside Clubs
Queensland: Home to some of Australia’s most picturesque beaches and natural reefs, it’s a popular holiday destination for tourists looking to relax and unwind. And towards the end of the year, the Sunshine State is the preferred party destination for...
Prison Staff Who Commit Crimes
When you hear about crime happening in prisons, you probably tend to think it’s the inmates, right? Well, it’s not just the prisoners. Prison staff can also be involved, as these two recent cases appear to demonstrate. Trade instructor convicted...
Teacher’s Wrongful Conviction Finally Overturned
In the carefree days of 1979, things were a bit different from the way they are now. Teachers could take students on excursions and camps without other adults being present to keep an eye on things. They could be in...
High Court Spares Izzy’s Life
In February, we wrote a blog about the intriguing story of Izzy, the Staffordshire terrier on death row in Victoria whose case went all the way to the High Court, making legal history. Background After escaping from her home in...
Terrorism Suspects to Have Their Citizenship Revoked
Politicians and media outlets regularly tell us that terrorism is the greatest threat to our Australian values and lifestyle - despite the fact that terrorist attacks occur relatively infrequently compared with other criminal offences. Nevertheless, suggestions that we are at...
Is Being Aggressive Illegal?
An Australian man flying home from Chile last October had an unexpected layover in New Zealand after he was charged with indecent assault and threatening to kill over allegedly becoming drunk and aggressive towards flight staff. While Qantas has a...
NZ Bans Animal Testing for Cosmetics
Animal testing has been instrumental in the the development of new medicines that are important to saving human lives and making our daily existence a little easier and more comfortable. But there is a moral cost – millions of animals...
The Continuing Issue of Police Brutality in Australia
The tragic death of 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown, who was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri last year, thrust the issue of police brutality into the media spotlight. Since the incident, a string of cases linked...
He Made Me Do It! Duress in Criminal Cases
Duress is a legal defence that applies when a person is forced to commit the actions which comprise a criminal offence. Duress is a complete defence, which means a person charged with a criminal offence will be found not guilty...
The Julian Assange Saga: Secrets, Suspicions and Supreme Court Decisions
Australian citizen Julian Assange rocketed into the national consciousness in 2010. Assange is the co-founder of WikiLeaks, a website dedicated to publishing secret information and leaks from anonymous sources. That year, WikiLeaks published thousands of secret US military and diplomatic...
