Key developments
- Inquiry into Justice Responses to Sexual Violence
- Serious racial and religious vilification
- Review of serious road crime offences
- Inquiry into economic self-determination and opportunities for First Nations Australians
- Review of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022
- Inquiry into civics education
- Consultation on public interest exceptions for the offences in sections 11, 12 and 14 of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (NSW)
- Land Acquisition Review
- Non-compete and other restraint clauses
- Exposure draft Family Law (Superannuation) Regulations 2024
- Doxxing and Privacy Reforms
- Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024
- Artificial intelligence (AI) in New South Wales – Post-hearing responses
- Inquiry into the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023
- Review of the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Declared Areas) Bill 2024
- Opportunities and impacts arising out of the uptake of artificial intelligence (AI)
- Review of skilled migration points system
- Review of Australia’s Credit Reporting Framework
- Draft Coal Mine Subsidence Compensation Amendment Bill 2024
- Financial Services Regulatory Framework in Relation to Financial Abuse
Inquiry into Justice Responses to Sexual Violence
The Family Law, Criminal Law and Indigenous Issues Committees contributed to a submission to the Law Council regarding the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Inquiry into Justice Responses to Sexual Violence in Australia.
The submission sets out the Law Society’s support for the Inquiry and identifies our highest priority issues relevant to the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry to consider, including:
- supporting early intervention, including consent education, and services supporting connection to culture and family;
- supporting diverse options for redress, including restorative justice; and
- improving the criminal law response through trauma-informed training and approaches, addressing delay, resourcing, and consideration of specialist approaches to proceedings involving sexual violence.
Serious racial and religious vilification
The Criminal Law, Human Rights and Public Law Committees contributed to a submission to the NSW Law Reform Commission regarding their review of the effectiveness of section 93Z of the Crimes Act 1900 in addressing serious racial and religious vilification in NSW.
The submission set out the Law Society’s support for the Review and offered comments relevant to the Terms of Reference for consideration, including noting:
- the importance of assessing the effectiveness of section 93Z in view of its place within the broader framework of criminal and civil provisions designed to address vilification in NSW;
- our opposition to lowering the threshold, or widening the scope, of the offence provision;
- the scope to consider ways to streamline the offence provision, including focusing the offence on intentional conduct, rather than retaining the inclusion of reckless conduct; and
- the scope to expand the categories of protected groups under the section, including to ensure persons with disability are also protected under the section.
