Law Report
Kanaal Besonderhede
Law Report
From courtroom dramas to miscarriages of justice, to how the law affects you — and so much more. The Law Report is your accessible guide to the big legal stories unfolding in Australia and across the world.
Onlangse Episodes
281 episodes
High Court says government can't use ankle bracelets, curfews to monitor former immigration detainees
Should the Federal Government have powers to restrict the movement of former immigration detainees in the community?
Are suppression orders out of control in Victoria?
How accurate is a recent report that claims Victorian courts issue more suppression orders than in any other Australian jurisdiction?
Should an offender's disadvantage have an impact on their sentence?
What arguments and information should courts be hearing when they are sentencing an offender? In April, a tool to assist defence lawyers and judges wi...
Law Report Special: Star Casino executive directors breached their obligations under the Corporations Act
Matthias Bekier, former managing director of Star Entertainment, the company which operates Sydney’s Star Casino and Paula Martin, Star Entertainment’...
Claims chasers in natural disaster zones
The Law Report is shining a light on claims or disaster chasers who approach people whose homes have been damaged by a severe weather event.
Fifty years of 'no-fault' divorce in Australia
Two former family law judges sit down with Damien Carrick to revisit a time before no-fault divorce, when unhappy spouses often employed private detec...
Is the right to protest being undermined in Australia?
Queensland has introduced a bill to ban the slogans "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada". Western Australia wants to give police t...
British AG Richard Hermer on Gaza, Israel, Greenland, and upholding the rule of law; Political donations buy access
The Law Report speaks to Richard Hermer, attorney general for England and Wales, who was in Australia recently with a message centred on upholding the...
How useful is AI in creating better legal outcomes and processes?
Can artificial intelligence reveal the assumptions judges make? Or help lawyers and litigants to identify appeal arguments?
What's in Australia's new hate crime and gun control laws?
In the wake of the Bondi mass shooting, the federal government has passed two significant pieces of legislation that it says are aimed at preventing f...
When a natural disaster strikes, what are your legal rights?
In the aftermath of Victoria's catastrophic bushfires, we look at how communities attempt to rebuild their lives and homes. We also discuss navigating...
Defining death: ALRC examines laws around human tissue and organs
In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science. T...
Race, language and the Law
An emoji, a protest placard and a tweet by a soccer fan have all led to criminal charges in Britain. The Law Report explores how language and cultural...
How art is transforming the lives of First Nations prisoners
Can art change lives? The Confined 16 exhibition in Melbourne celebrated the works of First Nations artists who picked up the paint brush while they w...
"What's in your drugs?": Pill testing at music events
Does pill testing save lives? The Law Report's Damien Carrick visits a pop-up service at a Melbourne music event where substances are checked, and sta...
Dezi Freeman and the sovereign citizens movement
This year saw a massive manhunt for alleged police shooter Dezi Freeman in Victoria's mountainous north east. In the past, the 56-year-old has been li...
What does Victoria's historic treaty mean for First Peoples?
What impact could Victoria's historic treaty have on policy, legislation and governance for the state's First Peoples?
US lawsuits allege ChatGPT encouraged suicides, harmed users' mental health
In the United States, there is increasing attention on young people's interactions with AI chatbots. OpenAI is being sued over allegations that its Ch...
Countdown to Australia's social media ban
In two weeks' time, Australia's social media ban for children under 16 will come into force. How will it work? Will it protect kids from online harm?...
How legally tight are prenuptial agreements?
Are prenuptial agreements always legally watertight? Or can they be tossed out by the courts? The High Court recently handed down a decision that focu...
Whitlam dismissal 50 years on
November 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by Governor-General Sir John Kerr — an event that exposed and...
Fifty years of the Australian Law Reform Commission
The Australian Law Reform Commission is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Law Report's Damien Carrick hosted an event in Melbourne to mark its hal...
Do we have a right to free speech in Australia?
The implied freedom of political communication has been at the centre of several recent high-profile court decisions. The Law Report asks: do Australi...
FOI reform and government transparency; Prosecuting the spread of deepfakes online
The Federal Government says it wants to reform the Freedom of Information system - what's in the proposed changes? And is the law keeping up with the...
High Court lets police access evidence from encrypted app used in global raids
The High Court has unanimously upheld the use of police evidence obtained by monitoring an encrypted messaging app used by organised criminals. The de...
If a self-driving car crashes, who is liable?
As driver assistance technology become more prevalent, a persistent question remains: who is liable in the event of an accident? And looking into a fu...
How should wrongful convictions be compensated?
Queensland man Terry Irving was recently awarded $130,000 in damages for a malicious prosecution over 30 years ago. The Law Report looks at compensati...
Is Australia fulfilling its legal duty to act on climate change? And High Court orders return of Bolivian artefact
How does the recent advisory opinion handed down by the International Court of Justice shape discussions around climate change at the United Nations?...
Fifty years of PNG's independence constitution
Papua New Guinea is celebrating 50 years of independence from Australia. Among the country's historic achievements is the national constitution, creat...
"Your crimes harmed a great many people": Erin Patterson mushroom murder sentence explained
"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," said Judge Christopher Beale in sentencing Erin Patterson to life in pr...
Dezi Freeman and 'sovereign citizens'
A massive manhunt for alleged police shooter Dezi Freeman is continuing in Victoria's mountainous north east. The 56-year-old, who is accused of killi...
Law Report Special: Linda Reynolds wins defamation battle against Brittany Higgins
Former Coalition Federal Minister Linda Reynolds has won her defamation case against former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins.
It has been...
Will 'post and boast' laws stop offenders bragging on social media? Australia tightens vaping regulations
Victoria is the latest jurisdiction to adopt laws that punish offenders who brag about their crimes on social media, as Western Australia considers a...
Nine's victory in Al Muderis defamation case; Legal fight over 'Never Get Busted' director credit
The Nine Network's Federal Court victory over high-profile surgeon Munjed Al Muderis marks the first time a media organisation has defended a defamati...
Record damages in Mad Mex sexual harassment case; Reviewing the legal definition of terrorism
The Federal Court has awarded a record $305,000 in damages to a young woman who was sexually harassed by her employer at a Sydney fast food restaurant...
What are the legal conditions for Palestinian statehood? And electronic wills after Covid
As more countries move towards formal recognition of a Palestinian state, the Law Report examines the conditions for statehood under international law...
Federal Court says Australian women can sue Qatar Airways over airport body searches
The Law Report speaks to one of the Australian women who won the right to sue Qatar Airways after being subjected to invasive searches at a Doha airpo...
ICJ to deliver climate advisory opinion; Denmark's plan to let citizens copyright their face and voice
As the International Court of Justice prepares to deliver a long-awaited climate advisory opinion, the Law Report explores the Federal Court ruling th...
Defining death: ALRC examines laws around human tissue and organs
In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science an...
AI and automated decision making in government
Robodebt has shown that relying on automated decision making tools can be disastrous. What checks and balances could be developed to guide the safe an...