Considerable CLA effort, along with that of experienced and astute lawyers, has produced much-improved sexual and violent offences legislation in the ACT. The CLA-inspired changes better define violence, allow the media to cover cases, and make videoing…
Possibly after quaffing too much of Jack Pomeroy’s Chateau Fleet Street, Patrick Jones (Letters, August 13), misses the point of recent criticism of the ACT’s Crimes (Controlled Operations) legislation.Possibly after quaffing too much of Jack Pomeroy’s C…
Police in the ACT have just received legislated power to break the law, and to allow criminals to break the law. CLA says this guarantees that there will be police corruption in the ACT within the next 5-10 years, if the pattern in every other jurisdicti…
What are your rights – and the rights of ASIO and police – under Australia’s draconian anti-terror laws? This excellent publication, produced by the Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network, was released in its 3rd edition in July 2008. It explain…
South Australia is about to take Australian personal freedoms backwards by a law making it a crime to get together with your mates, and declaring you guilty by association without doing anything wrong. Liz Murray explains how dangerous such laws are. Ant…
When an Indigenous girl is gang-raped, sometimes the justice system goes on trial. But what of our society and ourselves, by inattention permitting a festering inequity that breeds an inevitability of trouble. Peter Applegarth SC of Queensland Council fo…
Proposed new sexual assault law takes away a 400-year-old right to defend yourself in person in court, introduces secret trials, and is farcical in relation to some ill-thought-through provisions. It needs major review, partly because many problems it ai…
An Australian Parliamentary Committee is proposing sweeping changes to previous laissez-faire policies which expose Ausralians to the death penalty overseas, and also ignore what happens to people we extradite to other countries. Civil Liberties Australi…
Can a man clad only in boxer shorts order six police officers, who fear domestic violence may have occured, from his home? Yes, in certain circumstances, says the High Court, confirming nearly $0.5m in damages and proving that The Castle was a documentar…
The AFP should adopt recommendations of a Canadian inquiry into stun guns, CLA says. The report of the Commission for Public Complaints against the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a sensible, balanced analysis and approach to using these potentially let…