National Parks’ get-out-of-jail-free card in High Court
The High Court has begun hearing a case to decide whether the Commonwealth can avoid criminal penalties for damaging sacred sites in the Northern Territory.
crime, law and justice
Police pause to reflect a year on from ‘evil’ killings
Queensland police officers have marked the first anniversary of the shooting deaths of their colleagues Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow.
Covert calls and credibility queries amid rape report
A Network Ten producer says Brittany Higgins' allegations of parliamentary interference weakened "very strong" claims she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann.
WA justice boss resigns following unit 18 death
Adam Tomison, Western Australia's justice department chief, has resigned two months after Indigenous teen Cleveland Dodd died in juvenile detention.
Drug traffickers risk lives and freedom in pivot to sea
Drug cartels are increasingly using the oceans to import drugs into Australia, leading to more calls for help when smugglers run into trouble on the water.
Murder probe after woman collapses, dies near home fire
Police allege a man was behind the stabbing death of a woman following her discovery near a burning house north of Brisbane.
Two nabbed over botched 560kg cocaine import off WA
Two men have been charged over a botched attempt to import 560kg of cocaine which came undone when one of them needed rescuing off the WA coast.
Migration overhaul targets students and dodgy employers
A plan to fix a faltering migration system will take aim at bogus international students and unscrupulous employers while trying to reduce overall migration.
‘I could not have consented’: Higgins to colleague
A court heard Brittany Higgins was a 'broken soul' after being allegedly raped by Bruce Lehrmann and insisted she cannot have consented to have sex with him.
Trump says he won’t testify again at New York trial
Donald Trump was expected to return to the stand as the last big defence witness at his New York civil fraud trial, but now says he will not appear.
AFL concussion rules need to shift after Tuck’s death
A coroner's findings into the death of former Richmond player Shane Tuck includes multiple recommendations to the AFL over concussion.
Gun seized, men charged after shots fired into home
Three men have been charged and a gun seized after shots were allegedly fired into a home west of Brisbane.
Man accused of ignoring medical alerts in fatal crash
A 66-year-old man has been charged over the Royal Daylesford Hotel beer garden crash that killed five people in Victoria.
Bikie arrested, accused of separate bashings
A suspected bikie is facing a swathe of charges, accused of being involved in two separate assaults, including a bashing involving eight other men.
AFL concussion report from 1993 central to class action
A major concussion class action against the AFL relies on a medical report from the code in the '90s, as new details of Max Rooke's injuries were revealed.
Two punched after coming to aid of woman under attack
A man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman outside a shopping centre and hitting two good Samaritans who came to her aid.
Two men charged with murder over alleged inmate bashing
Two men have been charged with murder over the death of Benn Schinkel after a suspected bashing in a central Queensland prison last year.
Outback Wrangler to face trial over fatal chopper crash
Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright will face trial accused of perverting the course of justice in a crash that killed his co-star.
Reward offered to help solve body in wall murder case
Twelve months after Tanya Lee Glover's body was discovered, Queensland authorities are offering $500,000 for information to solve her suspected murder.
Man ‘posted online video threat’ after police shootings
A US citizen has been accused of posting a video online threatening violence against police days after a religiously-motivated terrorist attack in Queensland.
Higgins in ‘tug of war’ between job and rape complaint
Brittany Higgins felt she could not keep her parliamentary job and go to police with an allegation she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann, her counsellor has said.
Retrial for Olympian’s brother over bungled drug plot
The brother of Olympic silver medallist Nathan Baggaley has had a guilty verdict set aside over a botched plot to import $200 million worth of cocaine.
John Setka’s ex threatened to kill him, court finds
Emma Walters has been spared a conviction after a magistrate found she threatened to kill her estranged husband, union boss John Setka.
Advocates urge targeted programs in youth crime plan
Advocates have called on the state government to develop a comprehensive plan to tackle youth crime with the current strategy to expire this month
Mother of boy found dead in pool charged with murder
More than two years after Tarrin-Macen O'Sullivan was found dead in a pool, his mother has been charged with the four-year-old's murder in north Queensland.
Underworld link after macabre theft from corpse
A graveyard theft in Melbourne, which has shocked the underworld, is believed to be a targeted attack ordered by an overseas crime boss to cause hurt.
Harry loses bid to have libel claim defence thrown out
A judge has ruled Prince Harry's libel case against a British newspaper over reports on his security arrangements must go to trial.
Spanish tourist dies while on Great Barrier Reef trip
A 76-year-old woman has died while on a snorkelling trip on the Great Barrier Reef as part of a 25-strong Spanish group.
Higgins, Lehrmann ‘quite touchy’ before alleged rape
Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins were touching each other and kissing passionately before her alleged rape on a senator's couch, a court has been told.
Attempted murder charge over spear attack
A Brisbane man has been accused of stabbing a 47-year-old in the chest with a spear.
High Court backs jury over ‘unreliable’ murder witness
A man jailed for life for murder claimed a jury was told to be prejudiced against a witness whose testimony could have proved him not guilty.