When Can a Jury Be Discharged in New South Wales?
The trial of a 22 year old Sydney swimming instructor will now be forced to restart, after the jury was discharged by NSW District Court Judge Kara Shead, on the second day of trial. The jury had been assembled this...
Calls to Ban NSW Police From Participating in Mardi Gras
A coalition of LGBTIQ groups, community members and supporters released an open letter on 21 October calling on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to reconsider the participation of NSW police and Corrective Services NSW, as a sign of...
The Offence of Cultivating a Prohibited Plant in New South Wales
NSW Police have seized more than 13,000 cannabis plants worth an estimated $40 million, in what they describe as one of the largest cannabis busts in Australia’s history. Fourteen men have been charged with a range of drug and criminal...
The Offence of Disseminating, Possessing or Producing Child Abuse Material
Australian Federal police have arrested 44 men across the country, including eight from NSW who are alleged to belong to an international ring sharing child abuse material. The AFP’s special unit, called the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE),...
Drug Supply Prohibition Orders: Targeting Those Who Have ‘Served Their Time’
The Berejiklian government has introduced a bill that establishes a pilot scheme that allows NSW police to place those who have been convicted of drug supply or drug manufacture under enhanced surveillance after they’ve served their sentences. Introduced on 20...
Drunk Probationary Cop Assaults Terrified Woman While Waving Badge
A 41-year old NSW police officer might have just had the shortest career ever with the state’s Police Force, after being caught on camera assaulting a woman and trying to arrest her while off duty, after a drunken night out....
Freedom Protests or “Shameful” and “Selfish” Conduct? Police and Protesters Clash in Victoria
Police and protesters have clashed again in Melbourne as hundreds of people demonstrated against coronavirus lockdowns, calling for an end to the harsh restrictions. Video footage shows protesters chanting “democracy is essential” and “all jobs are essential”, before police officers...
A “Shadow Pandemic”: COVID Leads to Rise in Domestic Violence Offences
Since the start of the pandemic, concerns have been raised that a combination of household isolation due to lockdowns as well as work and financial stress could lead to a wave of domestic violence offences not just in our state,...
Don Dunstan: A Past Beacon of Light in a Barren Political Landscape
At around 11 pm on 10 May 1972, South Australia University law lecturer Dr George Duncan was thrown into Adelaide’s River Torrens by what it’s fairly safe to say these days were three SA police vice squad officers. This occurred...
Violence Against Protesters Was Unprovoked: An Interview With USYD Law Professor Simon Rice
Of late, Sydney University Law Professor Simon Rice has been running an extracurricular project, which involves overseeing some students working on reforming protest laws. Indeed, over recent years, state laws have been gradually encroaching upon the right to demonstrate. So,...
