This article refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died. It is shared with respect for their families and communities. A person who is arrested, remanded, or sentenced does not lose the right to come home alive. That principle is being tested in New South Wales right now. Last October, the NSW […]
Deaths in Custody in NSW: Criminal Charges Explained Read More »
The way NSW polices organised crime shifted this year, and most people outside the courts have not caught up with what has changed. In June 2026, the NSW Parliament passed the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Organised and Gang-related Crime Reforms) Act 2026. This is a package the Minns Government says targets the “beating heart” of organised
For years, plenty of festivalgoers walked away from a drug dog sit-down assuming they had no choice. Hand over your ID, follow the officer to the tent, take your clothes off if told to. Many believed that once a dog “indicated,” a strip search was simply what happened next. In September 2025, the NSW Supreme
NSW Strip Search Myths: Why A Drug Dog Alone Isn’t Enough (And The Court Just Said So) Read More »
Here is a number that will surprise almost everyone who lives in Sydney. Over the year to March 2026, the beachside eastern-suburbs area around Bondi recorded a higher rate of non-domestic assault per resident than Canterbury-Bankstown in the city’s south-west. You read that right. Not a higher total, a higher rate, meaning more recorded incidents
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is one of the most demanding forums a person can be asked to front in New South Wales. This week, the University of Wollongong inquiry reached the witness at the centre of it, and O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors is on the record acting for her. Former UOW chief
The University of Wollongong ICAC Inquiry: On the Record for Alyssa White Read More »
NSW police misconduct: A video went viral this week in NSW showing a police officer pushing a homeless man. Since then, it has spread rapidly across social media, drawing widespread condemnation from the public and advocacy groups. The footage shows an NSW officer physically pushing a man who is experiencing homelessness. The clip has been
NSW Police Misconduct: O’Brien Solicitors’ Joint Statement Read More »
New South Wales overhauled its sexual consent laws in 2021 and brought those changes into effect on 1 June 2022. Four years on, these reforms are reshaping how sexual assault prosecutions run in NSW courts and how accused persons must approach their defence. If you or someone you know is charged with a sexual offence in
Australia has made history as the first country in the world to implement a nationwide social media ban for anyone under 16. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 took effect on 10 December 2025, requiring platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and Kick to take “reasonable
Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban: Civil Rights? Read More »
In the five years to July 2023, NSW Police killed 52 people who were experiencing mental health crises. That figure, reported by AAP following the broadcast of ABC Four Corners’ Brutal Force, has reignited a debate that practitioners in police accountability law have been having for years: when a person is in acute mental health
52 Deaths in Five Years: NSW Police, Mental Health Crises, and a System Under Scrutiny Read More »
On Monday 1 June 2026, ABC Four Corners aired Brutal Force, a landmark investigative journalism program examining NSW Police Misconduct. Our Principal Solicitor, Peter O’Brien, appeared as a key expert voice in the program, speaking to the failures of the current police complaint system and the human cost of misconduct that goes unchecked. Four Corners
O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors Featured on ABC Four Corners: Brutal Force Read More »
