news
law & crime
defence May 14, 2022
Ben Roberts-Smith trial calls next witness
As the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case continues, his four star witnesses face their own difficulties in and out of the witness box.
law & crime May 14, 2022
New front in Coalition war on charities
Before the election, the Morrison government’s charities commission began issuing letters that threatened charities with deregistration if they were engaged in advocacy. Many regard these ‘reviews’ as a means of silencing the sector.
indigenous affairs May 14, 2022
The suicide of Ricky Lee Cound in a prison south-east of Perth has sparked a fresh campaign for the recognition of sovereign rights and government accountability for Indigenous deaths in custody.
ir April 23, 2022
Roman Abramovich’s day in Australian court
A defamation claim by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in the Federal Court has prompted questions over whether public interest journalism is sufficiently protected by Australian law.
indigenous affairs April 23, 2022
Children isolated and ‘fed through a hatch’ at Don Dale
Despite a 2016 royal commission, conditions in youth detention in the Northern Territory remain cruelly punitive, exacerbated by even harsher restrictions due to Covid-19.
law & crime April 16, 2022
The plot to destroy the Human Rights Commission
After a decade in which the Coalition has attempted to undermine and abolish the Human Rights Commission, the body is almost broke and facing international sanctions.
law & crime April 9, 2022
Immigration case raises concerns over High Court politicisation
A High Court decision on citizenship, seen as being as important as Mabo, is being recontested in what some experts say is an attempt at an American-style politicisation of the judiciary.
law & crime March 26, 2022
Delays are allowing abusers to hide assets from their victims
The federal government has done nothing to prevent child sexual abuse perpetrators from hiding their assets in superannuation, despite an announcement made four years ago promising legislation to assist survivors’ claims for compensation.
indigenous affairs March 19, 2022
The reporting of the Zachary Rolfe trial
Following the acquittal of Zachary Rolfe in the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, a careful media offensive has begun in the police officer’s defence.
law & crime February 26, 2022
Access to justice threatened by new rules for class actions
A federal push to change the rules around class action lawsuits will make it more difficult for people to get justice from the courts.
indigenous affairs February 26, 2022
NSW fails to parole low-risk prisoners despite Covid-19 provision
As the prison system faced the extraordinary risks associated with Covid-19, one state gave its commissioner the power to release low-risk prisoners. He hasn’t used it once.
