Law Report

What does an election look like when there are no financial ground rules?

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Currently there are no political donation laws in Victoria following a High Court decision that overturned legislation in place for nearly a decade.

Scam victims want compensation as HSBC settles ASIC action

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Law Report speaks to victims who are calling for the banking giant to compensate them, and asks, how effective are Australian laws in dealing wit...

Why was Ben Roberts-Smith granted bail on war crimes charges?

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Australia's most decorated living soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been granted bail after being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. Wh...

Euthanasia: How Australia's approach compares to other countries

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In countries where voluntary assisted dying is allowed, there are very different legal frameworks. A high-profile case in Spain raises questions of w...

A cultural approach to reducing Indigenous reoffending

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Indigenous incarceration rates are off the scale in Australia. For the last four years, the District Court of New South Wales has been trialling the ...

How accurate is facial recognition software?

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Law Report is asking some big picture questions about the pros and cons of facial recognition software use by police and retailers.

High Court says government can't use ankle bracelets, curfews to monitor former immigration detainees

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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?

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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?

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What arguments and information should courts be hearing when they are sentencing an offender? In April, a tool to assist defence lawyers and judges w...

Law Report Special: Star Casino executive directors breached their obligations under the Corporations Act

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Matthias Bekier, former managing director of Star Entertainment, the company which operates Sydney’s Star Casino and Paula Martin, Star Entertainme...

Claims chasers in natural disaster zones

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two former family law judges sit down with Damien Carrick to revisit a time before no-fault divorce, when unhappy spouses often employed private dete...

Is the right to protest being undermined in Australia?

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

British AG Richard Hermer on Gaza, Israel, Greenland, and upholding the rule of law; Political donations buy access

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Law Report speaks to Richard Hermer, attorney general for England and Wales, who was in Australia recently with a message centred on upholding th...

How useful is AI in creating better legal outcomes and processes?

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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?

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

When a natural disaster strikes, what are your legal rights?

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of Victoria's catastrophic bushfires, we look at how communities attempt to rebuild their lives and homes. We also discuss navigatin...

Defining death: ALRC examines laws around human tissue and organs

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science. ...

Race, language and the Law

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 cultura...

How art is transforming the lives of First Nations prisoners

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

"What's in your drugs?": Pill testing at music events

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 st...

Dezi Freeman and the sovereign citizens movement

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 l...

What does Victoria's historic treaty mean for First Peoples?

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the United States, there is increasing attention on young people's interactions with AI chatbots. OpenAI is being sued over allegations that its C...

Countdown to Australia's social media ban

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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?

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are prenuptial agreements always legally watertight? Or can they be tossed out by the courts? The High Court recently handed down a decision that foc...

Whitlam dismissal 50 years on

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

November 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by Governor-General Sir John Kerr — an event that exposed a...

Fifty years of the Australian Law Reform Commission

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Australian Law Reform Commission is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Law Report's Damien Carrick hosted an event in Melbourne to mark its ha...

Do we have a right to free speech in Australia?

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The implied freedom of political communication has been at the centre of several recent high-profile court decisions. The Law Report asks: do Austral...

FOI reform and government transparency; Prosecuting the spread of deepfakes online

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The High Court has unanimously upheld the use of police evidence obtained by monitoring an encrypted messaging app used by organised criminals. The d...

If a self-driving car crashes, who is liable?

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As driver assistance technology become more prevalent, a persistent question remains: who is liable in the event of an accident? And looking into a f...

How should wrongful convictions be compensated?

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Queensland man Terry Irving was recently awarded $130,000 in damages for a malicious prosecution over 30 years ago. The Law Report looks at compensat...

Is Australia fulfilling its legal duty to act on climate change? And High Court orders return of Bolivian artefact

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Papua New Guinea is celebrating 50 years of independence from Australia. Among the country's historic achievements is the national constitution, crea...

"Your crimes harmed a great many people": Erin Patterson mushroom murder sentence explained

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," said Judge Christopher Beale in sentencing Erin Patterson to life in p...

Dezi Freeman and 'sovereign citizens'

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 kill...

Law Report Special: Linda Reynolds wins defamation battle against Brittany Higgins

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former Coalition Federal Minister Linda Reynolds has won her defamation case against former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins.It has been widely...

Will 'post and boast' laws stop offenders bragging on social media? Australia tightens vaping regulations

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Nine Network's Federal Court victory over high-profile surgeon Munjed Al Muderis marks the first time a media organisation has defended a defamat...

Record damages in Mad Mex sexual harassment case; Reviewing the legal definition of terrorism

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 restauran...

Legal conditions for Palestinian statehood; Electronic wills after Covid

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As more countries move towards formal recognition of a Palestinian state, the Law Report examines the conditions for statehood under international la...

Federal Court says Australian women can sue Qatar Airways over airport body searches

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 airp...

ICJ to deliver climate advisory opinion; Denmark's plan to let citizens copyright their face and voice

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the International Court of Justice prepares to deliver a long-awaited climate advisory opinion, the Law Report explores the Federal Court ruling t...

Defining death: ALRC examines laws around human tissue and organs

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science a...

AI and automated decision making in government

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Robodebt has shown that relying on automated decision making tools can be disastrous. What checks and balances could be developed to guide the safe a...

Law Report Special: Erin Patterson found guilty in triple mushroom murder

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After seven days of deliberation, a jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of murder and attempted murder. The 50-year-old woman was found to have deli...

What happens inside the jury room?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial has retired to deliberate the verdict, guilty or not guilty. But what happens in the...

Could a landmark US Supreme Court ruling expand Trump's powers?

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

US President Donald Trump has praised a landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down 'universal injunctions' issued by lower court judges, made in ...

Law Report Special: Antoinette Lattouf v ABC

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Court has ruled that the ABC wrongfully dismissed journalist Antoinette Lattouf for reasons including that she "held a political opinion ...

'Pseudolaw' in the courts: Can you pay a legal debt with an IOU?

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warren Tredrea, a prominent Adelaide football personality who unsuccessfully sued Channel 9 for unfair dismissal, has argued in court that his legal ...

NSW flood insurance crisis; Marking 50 years of Australia's Racial Discrimination Act

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Huge property loss is upending the lives of communities in flood-hit parts of New South Wales — what's happening to the rise in insurance claims in...

How art is transforming the lives of First Nations prisoners

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can art change lives? Confined 16 is an exhibition in Melbourne of First Nations artists who picked up the paint brush while they were in prison. 

The case for stronger whistleblower protections in Australia

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The return of high-profile whistleblowing cases to court has renewed calls for legislative reform in Australia to better protect, provide oversight a...

The mushroom murder trial; Tasmanian supermarket sued for banning entry to 'therapy alpaca'

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Victorian woman is on trial accused of poisoning her lunch guests by serving them a meal laced with death cap mushrooms. And a Tasmanian couple ban...

"What's in your drugs?": Pill testing at music events

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Does pill testing save lives? Damien Carrick visits a pop-up service at a Melbourne music event where substances are checked, and staff talk to party...

Queensland reviews strangulation offence

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, Queensland was the first Australian jurisdiction create a stand-alone offence of non-fatal strangulation. Since then, every other state and ...

Labor's election landslide; How companies use AI tools to disqualify job applicants

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What's behind the Labor Party's overwhelming election victory? And can AI-based technology be used to discriminate against job applicants?

How family law courts deal with disputes over gender affirming hormone therapy for children

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two recent court decisions could help shape the debate, and perhaps the law, on when children can be given puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone the...

Federal Court Chief Justice Debbie Mortimer on open justice in the digital age

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Hon. Debbie Mortimer, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, joins Damien Carrick in a conversation about live streaming court cases, s...

High Court upholds Queensland's "no body, no parole" laws; Endangered glider possums in court

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Queensland man convicted of murder has failed to convince the High Court to strike out laws that were used to deny him parole for refusing to coope...

Can Trump's tariffs be challenged in court? Should we ban non-complete clauses?

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S President Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs has sent shockwaves through the world economy, but are these liberation day tariffs constitu...

Trump's war on the US judiciary

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration's clashes with the US judicial system are escalating, and two federal judges are in the eye of the storm.

Race, language and the Law

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An emoji, a protest placard and a tweet by a soccer fan have all led to criminal charges in Britain. Were the prosecutions appropriate? 

Supporting survivors of sexual assault in the justice system

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we improve the experience of survivors of sexual assault in the legal system? The Australian Law Reform Commission has released the findings ...

Do you have a legal right to work from home?

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The federal opposition has vowed to roll back remote work entitlements for public servants if it wins the next election — a policy the Labor govern...

High Court delivers ruling in KMD detention case; Closing arguments heard in Lattouf v ABC trial

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What steps does a mentally ill offender have to take to convince authorities they no longer pose a risk to the community or to themselves? And the Fe...

Do expanded federal surveillance laws go too far? And report warns private practitioners abandoning Legal Aid work

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To what extent should police be allowed to hack into phones, computers and encrypted communication to counter online crime? And new research says pri...

High Court rules judges can't be sued for damages; Legal rights and wrongs of lookalike products

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The High Court has ruled that all judges have immunity from civil action over decisions handed down in court. And how did a Sydney baby food company ...

Australia's new hate crime laws; Criminal defences of sexomnia and parasomnia

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Australia's new hate crime laws introduce mandatory sentencing for convictions over public displays of hate symbols and terror-related crimes. And pr...

Should parents be prosecuted for withholding medical care from a child?

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Members of a fringe religious group in Queensland have been found guilty of manslaughter following the death of a child. And can you sue your employe...

Recording Indigenous testimony for use in future compensation claims

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Kimberley Land Council is being approached by several native title groups keen to follow in the footsteps of Western Australia's Karajarri people...

Who can be held liable for bushfire damage?

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Law Report looks at the legal fallout from the devastating fires across Los Angeles. And who can be held liable for catastrophic bushfire damage ...

Children and medical consent

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When there's a dispute over the medical treatment of a gravely sick child, who gets the ultimate say?

NDAs in sexual harassment cases

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How are NDAs used by lawyers in the settlement of sexual harassment claims? 

Two hundred years of the NSW Supreme Court

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year, the Supreme Court of New South Wales celebrated its 200th birthday.

Tikanga: Incorporating Māori concepts in NZ common law

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Justice Joe Willams, the first Māori member of New Zealand's Supreme Court, speaks to the Law Report about how First Nations concepts are being adop...

How stressful is it to be a judge or magistrate?

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Research published earlier this year examines the impact of heavy workloads on the wellbeing of judicial officers and the quality of justice delivere...

Decades on, suspect charged over Easey Street killings; Warning signs and legal liability

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Veteran crime reporter John Silvester talks to Damien Carrick about some of the big developments in the criminal justice space in recent weeks.

How police use and misuse tasers

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Australian trial verdict that attracted worldwide attention. 

How should the justice system respond when a judge commits a crime?

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Gregory Geason resigned after he was convicted and sentenced for assault and emotional abuse or intimidation. The Law...

Vicarious liability and the Catholic Church; Driving with medicinal cannabis

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The High Court has found that it is not possible to find the Catholic Church 'vicariously liable' for the actions of molesting priests because they a...

Could re-election end Trump's legal woes? And compensating invasions of privacy

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What does Donald Trump's election victory mean for his legal problems? And the case of a daughter who sued her father for sharing their private conve...

The dilemmas of parole board decision making

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What's it like to have the responsibility to decide if a serious violent offender should be released from prison and allowed back into the community?...

Unfair dismissal: From medical marijuana to outsourced workers

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two unfair dismissal cases highlight a changing workplace.  A Philippines based legal assistant has just won the right to bring an unfair dismissal ...

Justice Kyrou on the new Administrative Review Tribunal

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In his first media interview, Administrative Review Tribunal President Justice Emilios Kyrou outlines some of his new powers. They include the abilit...

AI and the law

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How should the law respond to the risks and benefits of Artificial Intelligence?

When can tenants challenge evictions?

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do tenancy tribunals balance the competing needs of tenants and landlords? And why is Victoria - from a tenants' perspective - ahead of the pack?...

Corporations and free speech

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To what extent should employers be able to restrict employees from expressing their views and opinions in public?

What's behind Mexico's plan to elect judges?

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mexico is set to become the first country in the world to allow voters to elect every one of its 7,000 judges.

Protecting the integrity of the jury system

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when serious juror misconduct jeopardises a trial? And how can jurors be protected from outside pressures?

New 'justice visa' for exploited migrant workers

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new 'world-first', 12-month visa allows migrant workers to stay in Australia while they pursue unpaid wages or compensation for other forms of work...

Investigating war crimes in the Israel-Gaza conflict

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly one year into the Israel-Gaza war, how can the International Criminal Court move forward with its investigation into the conflict? 

Should the Attorney-General have power to block prosecutions of war crimes and crimes against humanity?

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Allegations of atrocity crimes cannot be prosecuted in Australian courts without consent from the Government's top legal officer, who also has the po...

Women in Law

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) for an insightful conversation about women working in the law. 

Is there a role for restorative justice in sexual assault cases?

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) explores a pilot program in New York that brings together survivors and perpetrators to address the impacts of ...

Reforming sexual assault law in Australia

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Playwright Suzie Miller (Prima Facie) speaks with those at the forefront of change in sexual assault law in Australia.

Combatting illegal trade in human organs

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

International prosecutions have focused concern on the 'hidden crime' of commercial trade in human organs. So, what is the best way to respond to org...

Solving Britain's prison crisis; kids who don't repay the 'bank of mum and dad'

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prisoners are being released early in a bid to tackle overcrowding in Britain's jails. And, buying property with help from the 'bank of mum and dad' ...

How does a judge know if an offender is truly sorry?

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When calculating a sentence, a judge weighs up many considerations, including remorse. But is it really possible to determine if an offender is genui...