News and resources

The electric scooter is growing in popularity in Europe as a means of urban transport, and there has been pressure in Australia to allow them to be used on cycleways and selected public roads. In many European cities, a person can rent an e-scooter on the spot, ride it wherever they want to go, and […]

Recently there has been a lot of publicity about new Commonwealth laws, taking effect toward the end of 2023, aimed at preventing and addressing sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. Recurring themes in this publicity are the stimulus for these laws, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020); and the phrase […]

Employers found liable for industrial manslaughter could face up to 20 years in jail under tough new negligence laws to come into operation in NSW in 2024. New industrial manslaughter laws following worksite deaths NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis has said she will bring in new industrial manslaughter laws which will significantly increase penalties […]

Regular physical exercise is an important part of maintaining health and fitness. People exercise in various locations, such as their local park, running along coastal tracks, or training at home or at a commercial gym. But with exercise comes the risk of sports-related or gym injuries. Gyms often unstaffed and unsupervised As the Covid pandemic […]

What is misfeasance in public office? The tort of misfeasance – it sounds like an evil spell in Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, and in a way it’s similar. Misfeasance is a legal term relating to the abuse of power by a person holding public office. Misfeasance and the robodebt scandal The term […]

Concerns with the use of artificial intelligence on the internet are growing, due to its potential to design powerful toxins, control robo-missiles, perpetuate online scams, spread misinformation and lies, and create AI-generated deepfake imagery and porn. Children exploiting deepfake imagery for bullying Australia’s online safety regulator reports AI-generated sexually explicit imagery and deepfake porn are […]

Before you could be called up for jury duty to decide the guilt or innocence of an accused, the fate of the person before the court was usually decided by a priest in the belief that God would intervene on behalf of the innocent. Court trials before juries existed In the past there was no […]

Ex-partner accused of break and enter In a recent case involving a break and enter charge, woman was terrified when her former boyfriend kicked down the front door, breaking three locks, forced his way into the apartment, shook her and threw her phone to the floor when she tried to call police. The two had […]

Mental health impairment and “not criminally responsible” verdicts In a recent court case, a man set a fire to a stranger’s house and laughed and cheered as the victim inside burned to death. The judge found that he had a mental health impairment and was not criminally responsible for murder. There was clear evidence Harley […]

Are driverless cars safe? We know that driverless cars are coming. So imagine the future, when you get into your driverless car, set the controls to take you home, sit back and relax as the autonomous vehicle sets off down the road. You are in the driver’s seat, but your hands aren’t on the steering […]

Weighing up the pros and cons of a case, discarding irrelevancies, assessing the likelihood of statements being the truth or a lie… it’s all in a day’s work for a judge in a court. But could computers replace judges, if programmed correctly? Could a computer weigh the evidence and decide whether the defendant is guilty […]

Australia’s family law is facing substantial changes under federal government plans to amend the 1975 Family Law Act, with the new Family Law Amendment Bill to put the best interests of the child at the centre. Best interests of the child to be central to family law system Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has released for consultation […]

Smoking on balconies is the cause of many apartment block disputes. Recently a non-smoking couple took their downstairs neighbours to court to prevent them from smoking on the balcony below. After a protracted dispute, the non-smokers won. Complaint that smoking on balconies affects health and wellbeing A Kingscliff couple took their smoking neighbours who lived […]

Someone disappears. Years go by and they are still missing. There is no message, no letter, nothing to indicate whether they are still alive. No body is found. Families are in limbo. Can their partner legally remarry? When can the missing person legally be declared dead, their will enacted and their assets distributed? Can someone […]

Did you know that only one person makes the decision in Australia to send troops to fight wars? That decision may be based on fear of imminent attack, in response to a request for support from an ally, a first strike against a perceived enemy, or perhaps just to keep a powerful ally on side. […]

Having a gel blaster – a lifelike replica gun that shoots pellets of water-soaked gel – is illegal in NSW. Gel blasters are considered so dangerous that police have written to every school across NSW warning young people face jail if found with such a weapon. Gel blaster guns illegal in most Australian states Gel […]

Visit any city in Europe nowadays and you will be astonished at the number of electric scooters zipping around carrying one or even two people, at speeds up to 25 kph. Men and women in office clothing commute to work on them. Teenagers ride them to school. At night glammed-up folk scooter off to parties […]

Although automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology has been around for many years now, its use still catches many drivers unawares and leaves some questioning its “Big Brother” aspect. However, its importance in criminal investigations leaves little doubt as to its continued value for the community. How does ANPR technology work? Automatic number plate recognition […]