Queensland Rule of Law Essay Prize 2014
The Rule of Law Institute is pleased to announce the Queensland Rule of Law Essay Competition for...
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Author: ROL Staff
Jury Trials and ‘the exclusionary rule’
“Finality is a good thing, but justice is a better” per Lord Atkin in Ras Behari Lal v King-Emperor (1933) Privy Council decision. The High Court in its decision dated 12 February 2014, Smith v the State of Western Australia...
Read MoreThe Rule of Law and Civil Society
In a recent speech at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, Chief Justice James Allsop of the Federal Court spoke candidly about the need to value “civility, reason, fairness and justice. … Civility and manners in social intercourse...
Read MoreMore Mandatory Sentences in NSW 2014
The Crimes Amendment (Intoxication) Bill 2014 was introduced this week into the NSW Parliament. It increases the penalty by two years for a number of assault offences if they were committed by an adult who was intoxicated at the...
Read MoreQueensland Anti-Association Laws Update 2014
“What is needed is an understanding by both governments and the people that elect them that adherence to rule of law principles…is not negotiable” Kate Burns RoLIA CEO The impact of the so called...
Read MoreMash-up: Mandatory Sentencing in Australia 2014
Recent events in NSW have focused attention on mandatory sentencing. This post brings together relevant information about current mandatory sentencing debates in Australia. Click on the links below to view material for the...
Read MoreRoLIA welcomes Rule of Law Audit
The Rule of Law Institute of Australia today welcomed the announcement by the Attorney-General that the Government would be referring to the Australian Law Reform Commission the task of auditing legislative encroachments which...
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Commerce and the Rule of Law “Letting the tail wag the dog”?
“Building on the rule of law in the global engineering sector” James Polkinghorne...
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Riverina Education Road Trip
We had a fantastic week presenting to teachers and students in the Riverina and Southern Highlands...
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The Rule of Law and The World Anti-Doping Authority Code
Guest writer Dr Ben Koh is a medical doctor with postgraduate qualification in Sports Medicine...
Read MoreTough new bikie laws – what’s the problem?
Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan has foreshadowed tougher national unexplained wealth laws. These laws reverse the onus of proof. Where there is a “reasonable suspicion” that an individual has engaged in serious criminal...
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NSW Crime Commission and self-incrimination – High Court decision
In Lee & Anor v NSW Crime Commission [2013] HCA 39 handed down on 9 October 2013, the High...
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Drugs, sport and the rule of law – How the “war on doping” justifies the means
Sports lawyer and Deakin University academic Martin Hardie will be one of the keynote speakers at...
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Dr Melissa Perry QC appointed a Federal Court Judge
The Rule of Law Institute of Australia congratulates Her Honour Dr Melissa Perry on being sworn in...
Read MoreLegal Responses to Criminal Organisations 2013
Responses by State and Territory parliaments to violent incidents involving criminal organisations has led to the passing of laws which raise rule of law concerns. Diminishing the presumption of innocence through...
Read MoreSouth East Queensland Resources
Last week I visited schools in South Eastern Queensland and spoke to students at Springwood State High School, Coomera Anglican College and Sheldon College. My presentations to students focused on a range of topics such as the...
Read MoreLimits to freedom of political communication
A Paper for the Economics and Business Educators’ Legal Studies Conference in 2013 on High Court Cases and the state of the freedom of political communication. Freedom took a further hit with the decision of a Federal Circuit...
Read MoreHigh Court finds against wide questioning powers given to Australian Crime Commission
The High Court has ruled that the Australian Crime Commission cannot require someone charged with an offence to answer questions before his or her trial on the subject matter of the charges, because that would interfere with the...
Read MoreTelecommunications Amendment (Get a Warrant) Bill 2013
RoLIA has made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Telecommunications Amendment (Get a Warrant) Bill 2013. The Bill is a private senator’s bill which is intended to require investigative agencies to obtain a warrant to...
Read MoreChanges to NSW planning laws offend rule of law principles
The NSW government intends to completely overhaul the current planning laws. Although the rationale for the overhaul is to give the community a greater say at the strategic planning stage rather than the opportunity to object to...
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