Ongoing Drug Supply: Factors Relevant to Sentencing
Under section 25A of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW), a person can be found guilty of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis if they supply, on three or more separate occasions during any period of...
Federal Government Set to Criminalise Revenge Porn
The Federal Government has called for public submissions on developing tougher criminal and civil penalties for people who share or post sexually explicit photos of others without consent. The proposal brings federal “revenge porn” legislation a step closer. Public submissions are open...
Trial by Media in the Internet Age
The growth of the internet generally, and social media in particular, has led two senior legal minds to warn that many Australians might not be getting a fair trial. Verdict based on the evidence Juries are meant to return their...
Possession or Use of a Firearm: What Do Courts Look at During Sentencing?
Many of the offences relating to the possession or use of firearms in New South Wales are contained in the Firearms Act 1996 (NSW) (‘the Act’). The Act was introduced as part of a national campaign to strengthen gun control,...
How to Deal with a Vexatious Litigant
Going through court proceedings can be costly, stressful, frustrating and time-consuming - especially if you are the target of a baseless or false claim. Those who repeatedly institute such claims not only put others through unnecessary hardship, they add to...
Innocent Man Convicted After Botched DNA Test
Controversial DNA testing laboratory PathWest is under fire once again in the wake of fresh revelations that an innocent man was wrongly convicted and suffered the consequences of a criminal record for more than a decade after staff at the...
Victoria to Invest $70 Million into Mental Health Services
The Victorian government has unveiled a $70 million package aimed at reducing crime through improved mental health services. $40 million of the funds will go towards expanding the high-security Thomas Embling Hospital, a forensic facility where people with mental health...
Police Accused of Pressuring Alleged Victims to Withdraw Complaints
The Queensland auditor general has accused the state’s police service of unacceptable practices when collating crime statistics and even distorting crime rates by ‘soliciting’ victims to withdraw complaints. The auditor general’s report, tabled in parliament last week, found that the Queensland...
Conviction of State MP Leads to Renewed Calls for a Federal ICAC
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has endorsed former Supreme Court judge Peter Hall QC as the new chief commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). “Mr Hall brings world-class expertise and experience to this critical role,” Ms Berejiklian said. “NSW needs...
Dangerous Driving and the Law
Driving charges are some of the most commonly heard matters in New South Wales Local Courts. Whether it’s drink driving (DUI or P.C.A.), speeding or a case involving serious harm, tens of thousands of driving cases end up before magistrates...
