Do We Need a Domestic Violence Register?
In the lead-up to the NSW state election, Premier Mike Baird has proposed a statewide domestic violence register to record the names of people who have previously been convicted of domestic violence offences. The Premier made the announcement at the...
Should inmates have any access to the internet?
Although spending time in custody is increasingly for punishment rather than rehabilitation, once a convicted person has served-out their sentence, the idea is that they should be able to go back into the community and get their lives back on...
Pinkwashing and Police Brutality– Issues Facing the Gay and Lesbian Community
With the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on later today, several companies have rolled out promotional campaigns getting into the festive spirit. One of those companies is ANZ Bank, which has attracted attention in recent years for its GAYTMs...
Food Contamination: Should there be harsher penalties?
Food contamination can be a serious matter, as the recent Hepatitis A outbreak from frozen berries has shown. At least 13 people across the country have been diagnosed with the virus after eating a certain brand of frozen berry products...
Should those who commit the same crimes get similar punishments? The parity principle
At the heart of our criminal justice system are the fundamental principles of justice, fairness and equality. Their application is especially important when it comes to imposing penalties upon people who are guilty of committing criminal offences. Fairness and equality...
Can Police Secretly Record You?
The law says that police are required to record interviews that take place at the police station, unless it is not practical to do so. This requirement has been instrumental in tackling the problem of ‘verballing’ or fabricated confessions, which...
Should police be able to seize suspected proceeds of crime before a person is found guilty?
When it comes to seizing suspected proceeds of crime, tough new laws introduced in Victoria mean that police have the ability to seize all the assets of suspected persons, not just assets connected with criminal activity. To get hold of...
Countdown to Execution – Should Chan and Sukumaran be Saved?
The two Australians convicted of drug trafficking ten years ago now face imminent execution in Indonesia. Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran made the 700km journey to the execution island, where it is expected that their execution by firing squad...
Should We Get Rid Of Police Prosecutors?
If you have ever been to court for a criminal offence, you will have found yourself up against a prosecutor - who sits on the other end of the ‘bar table’ in court. Depending on the type of case, the...
Are our memories reliable?
During the course of a criminal hearing or trial, witnesses are frequently called to give evidence about what they saw, heard or otherwise perceived about an event. In the absence of other binding evidence, witness testimony can be the deciding...
