Terrorism Suspects to Have Their Citizenship Revoked
Politicians and media outlets regularly tell us that terrorism is the greatest threat to our Australian values and lifestyle - despite the fact that terrorist attacks occur relatively infrequently compared with other criminal offences. Nevertheless, suggestions that we are at...
Police Mishandling of the Bowraville Murders
Over a period of five months between 1990 and 1991, three Aboriginal children disappeared from the same street in a housing mission near the NSW town of Bowraville. The bodies of 16-year-old Clinton Speedy Duroux and four-year-old Evelyn Greenup were...
The US Winds Back Mass Surveillance Laws
People living in the United States are said to be some of the most watched on the planet, with the National Security Agency (NSA) ramping up mass surveillance following the events of September 11, 2001. The nation’s willingness to monitor...
Video Evidence in Domestic Violence Cases
A controversial new law has recently come into force allowing complainants in domestic violence cases to make recorded audio-visual statements, rather than written statements. The new laws allow for video footage obtained by police following an alleged domestic violence incident...
Human Rights Abuses on Nauru
Nauru: It’s the world’s smallest island nation, but it’s been making headlines in Australia of late. The island is the site of an Australian-run detention centre, which houses approximately 1000 asylum seekers in tent-like facilities. Conditions at the centre have...
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...
Should Wrongly Convicted People be Compensated?
Imagine that you’re wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. After spending months, or even years, protesting your innocence while going through court proceedings, the prospect of being found guilty of a crime you did...
Illegal File-Sharing Club: The Implications of the iiNet Ruling
Have you ever illegally downloaded a movie, music file or software? If you’re among the estimated 29% of Australians who answered ‘yes’, you may be getting a nasty letter in the mail threatening legal action unless you pay the owners...
Becoming a Magistrate or Judge in NSW
Magistrates and judges preside over the courts in NSW and are responsible for making a wide range of decisions about various fields of law. Magistrates sit in the Local Court and are often responsible for presiding over a large number...
Helping Migrants Understand the Legal System
Migrants and refugees often come to Australia from war-torn and poverty-stricken countries in search of a better life for themselves and their families. Their birth countries may experience high levels of corruption, with police and government officials willing to turn...