What is the Best University for Law?
Deciding which university to apply for can be confusing - especially when you consider the number of law schools out there. There are currently 36 universities around Australia that offer law, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. On top of...
The title of ‘Queen’s Counsel’ may be reintroduced
The title of ‘Queen’s Counsel’, which was once reserved for the most distinguished barristers in the fraternity, was abolished by the Fahey state government in 1993 and replaced with the title of ‘Senior Counsel’. Some believed that the sudden change...
Police Naming and Shaming Innocent People
It’s a terrible possibility, and it could happen to any of us if we’re unlucky enough. Think about it. There’s been a senseless, terrible murder of someone you knew well. In the course of their investigations, police come knocking at...
The Milwaukee Experiment: Racism in the Criminal Justice System
The US is the most incarcerated nation in the world, and there is a significant disparity in incarceration rates between racial groups, with an over-representation of minorities in the prison system. The African American population in particular is over-represented in...
The ‘Gay Panic Defence’
Have you ever heard of the ‘homosexual advance defence’ or ‘gay panic defence’? How would you respond if you are a straight person and someone of the same gender made sexual advances towards you? There is obviously a difference between...
Police Blasted over Skye’s Law Tragedy
The issue of how NSW police handle pursuits is back in the spotlight after the Deputy State Coroner strongly criticised the driving of two officers involved in the chase that ended in the death of 19-month-old Sydney toddler Skye Sassine....
Will the National Domestic Violence Scheme be Effective?
The death of 11-year-old Victorian boy Luke Batty at the hands of his father in February 2014 highlighted for many the seriousness and the cost of domestic violence, and sparked a national campaign to protect women and children. More than...
Blaming Actions on Addictions – Setting the Record Straight
The current ‘ice’ epidemic has thrown the legal system into turmoil, with the public outraged that drug users are said to be using their addiction to escape convictions or secure lenient penalties. Some have voiced their concern that if Australia’s...
Should Juries be made Smaller?
Jury trials can be long and expensive and if we are honest, there are few who relish the prospect of being called up for jury duty. But if we don’t want to abolish them altogether, how about making them smaller?...
Vigilantes Taking the Law Into Their Own Hands
If you’ve ever seen the television drama Dexter, you’d know about Dexter Morgan, a troubled young man who leads a double life - working as a blood splatter analyst with the Miami Police Force by day, and as a vigilante,...
