Drug Use Soars Despite Spike in Arrests
Australian police conducted a record number of drug seizures in 2014-15, according to the recent Illicit Drug Data report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. The 105,862 seizures represented an increase of 13.7% compared to drug busts during the previous...
Tattoos in the Workplace
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has ruled that employers are permitted to discriminate on the basis of tattoos. The ruling was made in the case of Chontelle McGoldrick, who was denied a job as a flight attendant at both Qantas...
Abuses of Power in Closed Institutions: A Better Way
The ABC’s exposé of abuse at Done Dale detention centre in the Northern Territory has shocked the Australian public and led Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to announce a Royal Commission into juvenile detention. Since the abuses hit the mainstream media,...
Magistrates Who Ignore the Law
The ‘scales of justice’ have tipped heavily in favour of the State in recent years, to the detriment of anyone who may be suspected of a criminal offence. Dilutions of the right to silence and presumption of innocence mean that, in...
2000 Cases of Abuse on Nauru Leaked to the Media
There are growing concerns that the Federal Government has failed to address concerns about treatment of those held in off-shore detention centres, and with thousands of files detailing allegations of abuse having been leaked to the media this week, the...
‘Not White, Not Right’ – Racist Graffiti Scrawled Across Iconic Bondi
The eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi is a tourist Mecca, attracting millions of visitors from all over Australia and abroad each year. The area showcases the best of our nation - a world famous beach with glowing white sand, a...
Criminal Conviction a Problem for One Nation Senator
This week started with drama for newly elected Western Australian senator, Rodney Culleton, when he was arrested on Monday by Armidale police. The story so far… There has been an outstanding warrant for the Senator’s arrest for several months, issued...
Assaults On the Rise at The Star Casino
New figures released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) suggest a link between lock-out laws and an increase in violence at The Star Casino, with reported non-domestic assaults in the Pyrmont area increasing significantly since the...
Match Fixing Scandal Rocks the NRL
By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim Recreational gambling is a source of entertainment for many Australians. In fact, over 80% of Australian adults have engaged in some form of gambling – the highest percentage in the world. With millions of...
Criminal laws “lead almost to a ‘brain explosion’”, says Supreme Court Judge
Victorian Supreme Court Judge Mark Weinberg has seen a great deal in his 50 years as a lawyer, including the criminal law’s “shift from common law to statute, and in some cases, to codification”. In his speech to the Victorian...
