Government and judicial interventions into the decisions of parole boards display a progressive loss of faith in these independent bodies.
Articles on Law reform
Displaying 61 - 80 of 169 articles
Fines for minor infringements and offensive language crimes are among laws that create a cycle of poverty and disadvantage for Indigenous Australians.
George Pell’s current committal hearing engages the principle of ‘open justice’ and some of its most important exceptions.
Upholding victims’ rights on parole decisions means respectfully enabling their active participation in decisions that affect their personal interests.
Under recently announced Victoria Police changes, family violence will be investigated as major crime by specialised units.
The government’s latest Copyright Amendment Bill is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t do enough to foster innovation.
There are some online child sex abuse offences in Australia for which a defendant’s claim that they were purely fantasising could excuse criminal liability.
Psychological abuse of intimate partners is a public health problem, and is not well-regulated by the law.
The government’s proposed redress scheme for victims of institutional child sexual abuse controversially excludes some victims.
The enthusiasm around swift, certain and fair approaches to sentencing offenders may not be backed by evidence.
An overriding focus on increasing sentences may not necessarily be the best means of redressing the harm caused by sex offences.
The assisted dying bill in Victoria – complex and significant – is engendering less heated debate than marriage equality although both tap into some of our most fundamental fears and motivations.
National discussions about counter-terrorism strategy are welcome, but require robust follow-up if they are to improve responses to terrorism.
In historic cases the potential for a sentence to rehabilitate, incapacitate or deter the offender is largely insignificant – leaving the focus solely on retribution.
Despite arguments that it is too loose, ambiguous and easy to hide behind, the ‘public interest’ is an integral part of the discourse, law, regulation and governance of modern democracies.
Conscience protections for those opposed to same-sex marriage should not be seen as excusing bigotry. Rather, it is a legitimate means of best promoting everyone’s welfare.
Reporting child sexual abuse to police, and any subsequent investigation or trial, is a time of profound instability for victims and their families.
Whether or not a prospective citizen would face a longer wait in Australia compared to Germany, Canada or the UK comes down to their individual circumstances.
The car, the phone and the internet have changed the way the sex work industry operates, but debates about regulation have not advanced with new technologies.
Australia is the only democratic nation in the world without a national charter of rights or similar.
Top contributors
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Professor (Practice), Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University
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Professor of Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University
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Associate Professor, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University
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Emeritus Professor in Law and Criminal Justice, Adelaide University
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Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Canberra
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Professor of Law; Kim Santow Chair of Law and Social Justice, University of Sydney
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Emeritus Professor Monash University, Monash University
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Arie Freiberg is a Friend of The Conversation.
Emeritus Professor of Law, Monash University
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CEO, Sentencing Advisory Council
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Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, University of Liverpool
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Lecturer in Law, Adelaide University
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Professor, Centre for Women's Studies & Gender Research, Sociology, Monash University
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Associate Professor of Leadership, Swinburne University of Technology
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Dean, School of Law, Deakin University
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Professor of Evidence Law, University of Sydney