With the heavy policing at Sydney’s Midnight Mafia Festival last weekend to the pop-up privacy screens at Central station, people have raised concern over the harsh strip-search laws in New South Wales. The invasive practice of ordering people to remove their clothes in strange private environments appears to be normalised as a general search procedure Read more about Pat Down on Strip-Searches[…]

Imagine you are 10 years old. You are sitting on a cold floor in a small cell. You are surrounded by four concrete walls under a mesh roof. There is no sunlight. There is no contact with loved ones. There is no escape. Beside you is a thin mattress with no pillow. The water fountain Read more about Children Locked Up in Horror Watch Houses[…]

With the recent tragic events of Christchurch and Sri Lanka, some have called hate crime laws into question for their lack of use in Australia. Only 21 people have received convictions for hate crimes, despite the thousands of reported offences involving discrimination across the nation. Disturbingly, a recent study revealed approximately three offences have classifications Read more about Hate Crime Rarely Prosecuted in Australia[…]

The Labor Party has announced it will fund an additional $107 million to cut down the rate of Indigenous incarceration if it wins the next election. The ALP pledges to make jail a ‘last resort’ solution and will focus on justice targets for Indigenous people. This funding package includes $44 million for legal aid, $21.75 Read more about Labor Party Aims to Tackle Indigenous Incarceration Crisis[…]

The secrets and scandals surrounding Nicola Gobbo, the former criminal barrister turned police informant, have surfaced this week. The first public hearing of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants included shocking admissions by Victoria Police. These related to professional misconduct and improper interactions with Ms Gobbo. This disgraceful saga of Lawyer X Read more about Lawyer X Saga: Mixing Business With Pleasure[…]

Grajewski v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2019] HCA 8 This week, the High Court handed down its majority decision in the matter of Grajewski v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW). As reported last year, O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors represented the appellant, Paul Grajewski, a protestor who harnessed himself to a ship loader at a Read more about High Court Clarifies Meaning of Criminal Damage[…]

In a time of child abuse scandals and cover-ups surrounding the Catholic Church, Cardinal George Pell was found guilty of five charges last week for child sexual offences by a unanimous jury verdict. Pell, the Vatican Treasurer and third most senior Catholic official in the world, was convicted for one count of sexually penetrating a Read more about Cardinal George Pell Guilty of Grave Sins[…]