Prison safety in focus after officer’s horrific abuse
The NSW government has plenty of work to do to implement all recommendations from a landmark inquiry into failures in the state's prison system.
laws
Car theft claims skyrocket in one state, fall in others
Car theft claims are soaring to record levels in one Australian state while falling in all others, prompting concern amongst insurers.
Seeing red: push for road rule change sparks backlash
A state government may make a U-turn and revive a controversial road rule that lets motorists turn left at a red traffic light.
Family of murdered woman, children back new DV laws
Police will be able to issue immediate 12-month protections to alleged domestic violence victims after legislation passed state parliament.
Vicious cycles: national push to slow electric bikes
Cycling groups say high-powered and illegally modified e-bikes are increasingly being used in Australia and stricter, national rules are needed to save lives.
Cash reward proposed for blowing whistle on corruption
Australia's top legal and ethical minds are working outside the box to increase government accountability as the public loses trust in politicians.
Tougher national working with kids scheme by year’s end
Australia will fast-track the rollout of reforms for working with children checks after the existing system was slammed by the prime minister as "hopeless".
‘Lawyers’ picnic’ looms over right to work from home
Businesses are expected to test the legal validity of a state legislating the right to work from home, with questions over its intersection with federal laws.
Workers optimistic but employers wary over wages bill
Unions and business networks are clashing heads as a government bill to enshrine higher rates of pay for one in seven workers works its way through parliament.
‘Temu version’: opposition lashes visionless budget
A state opposition leader has promised to extend land tax concessions indefinitely after calling the government's budget a cheaper version of his party's ideas.
Jailing is failing: youth prison numbers under scrutiny
Tough on crime approaches are failing to make communities safer, instead undermining the rights of children and increasing incarceration rates, advocates say.
‘Go back to drawing board’: 2032 planning laws slammed
The clock is ticking for the 2032 Olympics but critics say laws that will help ensure Brisbane Games projects are built on time will set a dangerous precedent.
Australia risks missing AI boost if it gets rules wrong
Australia could miss productivity gains and health breakthroughs if it does not consider artificial intelligence rules carefully, a Google executive says.
‘Hannah’s smiling down on us’: landmark laws begin
Five years after a horrific attack, coercive control has become a criminal offence in Queensland in a "bittersweet" day for a murdered mother's parents.
‘Underclass of Australians’: youth crime laws slammed
The United Nations has taken aim at a state government's youth crime crackdown, saying it threatens to create an "underclass of Australians".
Brittany Higgins slams anti-discrimination law pause
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has blasted a state's decision to pause landmark anti-discrimination law changes.
Carbon offsets set aside following greenwashing lawsuit
EnergyAustralia has pledged to back away from the use of carbon offsets to deal with emissions, in a statement following a legal settlement.
Viral baker maintains innocence amid author food fight
An Australian baker and social media influencer says she has received online attacks after being accused of plagiarising recipes from other authors.
Fears new domestic violence police powers may backfire
Victims of domestic violence could be at greater risk of criminalisation under a plan to give police rapid protection powers, advocates warn.
‘Needs to stop’: fatal stabbing triggers hard bail laws
Another bail crackdown has been triggered by a store owner's fatal stabbing in a crime-hit territory, but critics are calling for more to be done.
Is it down? Strict rules for telcos that suffer outages
Phone and internet users will be given more details when their services drop out under rules imposed on telecommunication providers.
Tough youth crime laws under fire ahead of expansion
Tough youth crime laws have been hailed a success but with legislation set to be expanded there are calls for authorities to release key legal advice.
Aussie authors launch bid to close the book on AI theft
More than 1700 Australian authors have reported their works were stolen to train AI software but experts say lawsuits may be a gamble and new laws are needed.
Hospital partnership ban a legacy of toddler’s death
Private operators will be banned from getting involved in acute care in one state after a toddler's tragic death at a controversial hospital.
‘Shocking’: dozens of weapons seized in knife sweep
Almost 100 weapons have been seized in an operation aimed at stamping out knife-related crime after several shocking attacks.
Premier vows: we won’t leave house till bail laws pass
Parliament will sit late into the week in Australia's second most populous state to pass controversial new bail laws opposition MPs say they won't oppose.
Bayer hit with $3.3b Roundup verdict in US cancer case
Bayer says it will appeal after a US jury ordered it to pay one of the largest legal settlements issued in an alleged Roundup weed killer-related cancer case.
Aussie road rules are not ready for self-driving cars
Road rules will need to be changed before autonomous vehicles become more common, or lawsuits could follow.
State doomed to ‘repeat’ deaths with harsher bail laws
Laws to tighten the granting of bail for children and repeat serious offenders have been criticised as knee-jerk by some legal and Aboriginal groups.
Aust-first machete ban more ‘political optics’ than fix
A state government has promised to rapidly roll out an Australian-first machete ban but is copping criticism for its past opposition.
State euthanasia changes to hinge on conscience vote
Victoria is moving to change its voluntary euthanasia laws after falling behind other states and erecting too many barriers for terminally ill patients.