Criminal law: August 2026
The CCA discusses how childhood deprivation, youth and immaturity affect moral culpability, and the need for a nuanced approach to sentencing.
The transformation and expansion of racial hatred laws
Australia’s rapidly expanding hate laws raise concerns about subjectivity, constitutional limits and the challenges of enforcement across jurisdictions.
Criminal law: July 2026
The Court questions the utility of a long-standing sentencing guideline judgment and clarifies the limits of consciousness of guilt reasoning at trial.
Injectable peptides: Where does the law stand?
There is growing evidence that Australians are purchasing injectable peptides online using a legal loophole in which researchers can order these peptides for, nominally, the…
How and when should law firms work with private investigators?
The use of private investigators by lawyers, especially in crime and fraud cases, is not without controversy, with some high-profile cases and inquiries into their…
Fit for purpose courts: Law Society leads call for better infrastructure
Law Society of New South Wales President Ronan MacSweeney has called for a publicly available, long-term justice infrastructure strategy for the state.
Crimfluencers using violence as ‘social currency’ online
The convergence of the roles of criminal and online influencer has gained the title “crimefluencer” or “crimfluencer”.
Criminal law: June 2026
Recent NSWCCA decisions consider section 58 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 and reaffirm that ‘special circumstances’ are neither rare nor exceptional.
Psychosocial safety at work not a ‘soft issue’: new laws as SafeWork NSW claims soar
SafeWork NSW data revealed that psychosocial hazards account for 19.5 per cent of complaints, as frequent a complaint as falling from heights.
‘Neither necessary nor effective’: post and boast laws under fire
Laws introduced in New South Wales to combat performance crime have been criticised, as three quarters of charges involve a young Aboriginal male.
Criminal law: May 2026
The latest NSWCCA decisions consider limits on prosecutorial cross‑examination and sentencing procedures formerly described as suspended sentences.