A Walk Through History: Bidura Children’s Court’s ‘Dungeon’
Some of Australia’s most infamous criminals had their initiation into custody at Bidura Children’s Court and Remand Centre. The Bidura Children’s Court first opened in 1911 and is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. The excavations have uncovered a number...
Stopping Abuses Behind Bars: An Interview With Churchill Fellow Steven Caruana
“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons,” wrote the 19th Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If his statement is anything to go by, then recent developments would indicate that such an evaluation could lead...
Scott Morrison: An Extreme Conservative with Divisive Policies
Many Australians breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when Peter Dutton was defeated in the Liberal leadership battle. The prospect of having the minister behind some of the most divisive policy decisions in recent years at the nation’s helm...
How Long Can Police Keep an Arrested Person in Custody?
The Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (the LEPRA) sets out police powers in New South Wales as well as many of the rules officers are required to follow when exercising those powers. Can police arrest me without a...
Defendants in Domestic Violence Cases Prohibited from Questioning Complainants
Currently, self-represented litigants in the Family Court are permitted to cross-examine opponents, even in circumstances where there has been an allegation of domestic violence. However, the Turnbull government has drafted laws aimed at stopping this. Australian attorney general Christian Porter...
When Can a Defendant be Granted a Judge-Alone Trial in NSW?
The high profile criminal prosecution of Cardinal George Pell has raised concerns about whether Australia’s most senior Catholic will have the benefit of an impartial jury during his pending trial in Melbourne. This, in turn, has triggered debate about whether...
Church of Ubuntu Secretary Challenges Suppression Charges
This Saturday marks a year since a boy who suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy was taken from the care of his parents. On May 19 last year, NSW police and Family and Community Services (FACS) removed the boy from...
Another Ballarat Police Officer Accused of Brutality
Ballarat police have been under intense scrutiny in recent times, after a number of videos emerged of officers engaging in acts of brutality against members of the public. One of those videos shows officers dousing a handcuffed woman with pepper...
Dying With Dignity Laws on the Horizon
Terminally ill Victorians will have the right to take their own lives from 2019 onwards if end-of-life legislation passes through the upper house. Following a four day debate in the Legislative Assembly, a landmark assisted dying bill was approved on...
Judges Behaving Badly: Poor Judicial Temperament
‘Judicial temperament’ describes a judge or magistrate’s emotional responses within the courtroom and general attitude towards those within it, as well as to the law and legal process. A judicial officer with an good temperament is fair, patient, calm, unbiased, and...
