District Court ‘Severity Appeals’ in NSW: Appeals from the Local to the District Court
29-year old Victorian man Anthony Khallouf was arrested in Sydney just days before the planned protest in the CBD on Saturday, 24 August 2021, after travelling down from Queensland. Days before the planned gathering, Mr Khallouf uploaded a social media...
The Offence of Intentionally or Recklessly Destroying or Damaging Property by Fire in NSW
It has been reported that at around 10.50pm on Saturday, police patrol officers observed a fire at a demountable building used for COVID-19 testing on Forrester Road in North St Marys, in the Penrith Local Government Area. Police says the...
‘Freedom Incentives’ to Get Vaccinated: Justified or Coercion?
Over the past few days, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has started to release details about her “pathway forward” for the state. Part of her plan is to allow those who receive COVID-19 vaccinations to have some of their...
Council Kills Dogs Over COVID-19 Concerns
Bourke Shire Council in northwestern New South Wales recently ordered the killing of 16 rescue dogs over concerns the volunteers travelling to collect them might bring COVID-19 into its remote community. The dogs, which included “a mother and her puppies”,...
Truck Drivers Set to Protest Over COVID-19 Restrictions
The nation is polarised over whether protests should occur during COVID-19 lockdowns. Those against these protests see them as an unjustified intrusion on the civil liberties of others, namely the right against being infected by the virus. They label protesters...
What is a Recognizance Release Order?
A former teacher at one of Sydney’s most elite private schools has been sentenced in court for sending sexual messages to a person he believed was a 13-year old girl. While 40-year Alexander Simpson didn’t know it at the time,...
The Crime of Concealing a Child Abuse Offence in New South Wales
The leader of the Hillsong Church, Brian Houston, has been charged with concealing a child abuse offence perpetrated by his father, Frank Houston, in the 1970s. Brian Houston is a personal friend of the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who...
Sexual Assault Charge Brought Over Alleged Rape in Parliament House
The man accused of sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019, has been named, and will face court later this year. Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been charged in the nation’s capital with one count of sexual...
Can an Employer Force an Employee to Obtain a COVID-19 Vaccination?
Although he initially stated that COVID-19 vaccines would be ‘as mandatory as possible’, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since assured the public that the vaccination will be voluntary. Despite the rhetorical backflip, many believe that in practical terms, those who...
Sydney Criminal Lawyer Loses Appeal Against Finding of Deceptive Conduct
A Sydney-based criminal defence lawyer with ties to conman Peter Foster has lost her appeal against a decision made by the Supreme Court that both she and Mr Foster engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct in relation to a fraudulent...
