Can Good Character References Be Used During Sentencing Proceedings for Child Sex Offences?
Two young men are on a campaign to prohibit those who plead guilty or are found guilty of child sexual offences from using good character references during their sentencing hearings, which is the time when the magistrate or judge decides...
Predatory Driving in New South Wales: Law, Defences and Penalties
A New South Wales man has been arrested and charged with several criminal and major traffic offences after allegedly ramming a police car while attempting to avoid arrest over suspicions of sexually touching another person without consent. Police say they...
Garnishee Orders in New South Wales
The battle over illegally issued penalty notices for alleged failures to comply with COVID-19 public health orders continues, with Revenue NSW now issuing “garnishee orders” on people’s bank accounts in order to extract funds. Unsurprisingly, the public backlash regarding the...
Judicial Reviews by the Court of Appeal in New South Wales
Former New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has made clear she won’t stand by allegations of corrupt conduct made against her by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), applying to the state’s Court of Criminal Appeal for a judicial review...
Supreme Court Bail Applications in New South Wales
A Supreme Court bail application will normally be made after bail has been refused by a police offer after the arrest and charge process, and thereafter by a magistrate in the Local Court, or layer by a judge in the...
The Criminal Offence of Contempt of an Australian Senate Inquiry
Despite having a multi-million dollar payout in his back pocket and a substantial free flights package with Qantas, the Australian Government apparently did not consider former Alan Joyce to be a ‘flight risk’ while organising a Senate Inquiry into Qatar...
What Constitutes ‘Penetration’ for a Sexual Assault Offence in NSW?
Sexual offences in New South Wales have always distinguished between non-consensual physical activity involving actual penetration – including the historical offence of rape which was abolished in 1981 and the offence carnal knowledge which was abolished in 1986 – and non-penetrative,...
William Tyrell’s Foster Parents in Court Over Alleged Child Abuse
The foster parents of the young boy whose disappearance in 2014 has captivated the nation, exposed the shady operations of senior police officers, ruined the lives of innocent people through false accusations and cost the public millions in compensation and...
What is the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission?
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) was created on 1 July 2016 under the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 (Cth)(‘the ACC Act’). It consolidated three former federal intelligence agencies: the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC)...
The Law, Defences and Penalties for Tax Fraud and Tax Evasion in Australia
The terms tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance or minimisation are often used interchangeably, but it is important to be aware there are important differences which can impact on the way enforcement agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office...
