What is the Knowledge Requirement for Drug Importation in Australia?
The Australian Federal Police arrested a man at Melbourne International Airport last week, over allegations he attempted to import 6 kilograms of heroin concealed in his luggage. The 67-year old Canberra resident was returning from a trip to Manila, Thailand...
Minns Continues to Follow Coalition Playbook on Drug Law Reform: This Time Positively
The last few weeks had seen newly-minted NSW premier Chris Minns reverting back to the 2018-19 Liberal Nationals rhetoric on drug reform, which was the summer that saw five people die in drug-related circumstances at festivals, and spurred an inquiry into...
The NSW Drug Summit: Where Other Labor Leaders Triumphed, Minns Fears to Tread
A key objective of the 2023 NSW Labor policy platform stated that “a top priority” for the party on election would be to hold a state drug summit, so the experts can “advise on a wide variety of policy challenges”. This would...
The Law, Defences and Penalties for Drug Premises Offences in New South Wales
Along with New South Wales drug offences against the unlawful use, possession and supply of prohibited drugs and plants (including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis), there are also unique offences which apply to illicit drug premises. Here’s what landlords and...
Outrage Grows Over NSW Government’s Backflip on Drug Law Reform
NSW premier Chris Minns last week shattered the drug law reform agenda he’d been spruiking pre-election. The Labor leader has pushed his drug summit back to the end of the term and said he has “no mandate” for decriminalising drugs...
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 28 August to 3 September 2023
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: The Offence of Causing Grievous Bodily Harm By Misconduct in New South Wales A Sydney man has been charged over crash that killed his nephews...
NSW Premier Says No to Drug Decriminalisation, as the ACT Embarks on Bold Health Approach
Finally, this week, drug decriminalisation came to Australian shores. Laws passed by a Labor Greens government in the ACT came into effect on Monday. This will mean less drug-related deaths, less normally law-abiding citizens arrested, and more time for police...
“I Hope It’s Overturned”: Former Magistrate Heilpern on Revoking of Drug Driving Mistake Defence
The drug driving regime in this state, as in the rest of the country, has always been controversial, as the testing model used, which ultimately sees people charged and lose their driver licence, doesn’t test for impairment levels, like drink...
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 7 to 13 August 2023
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: What is the Early Appropriate Guilty Plea (EAGP) Scheme in New South Wales? The scheme prescribes steps in certain serious cases and percentages of guilty...
Faehrmann Calls for Regulated Legal Cocaine in NSW, in the Wake of a Spate of Shootings
Released in June, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report 2023 outlines that the Australian use of the illegal drug cocaine is per capita the highest in the world, whilst Sydney has long been known as this nation’s capital of...
