Law Report

As more countries move towards formal recognition of a Palestinian state, the Law Report examines the conditions for statehood under international law. And what are the risks, benefits and opportunities presented by electronic wills?

The Law Report speaks to one of the Australian women who won the right to sue Qatar Airways after being subjected to invasive searches at a Doha airport in 2020. And what does the International Court of Justice say about Australia's responsibility to combat climate change? 

As the International Court of Justice prepares to deliver a long-awaited climate advisory opinion, the Law Report explores the Federal Court ruling that Australia's government does not have a legal responsibility to protect Torres Strait islands from the impacts of climate change. And Denmark is planning to give citizens copyright protection over their face and voice.

In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science and technology.

Robodebt has shown that relying on automated decision making tools can be disastrous. What checks and balances could be developed to guide the safe and ethical use of AI in government operations, policy making and service delivery?

After seven days of deliberation, a jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of murder and attempted murder. The 50-year-old woman was found to have deliberately poisoned four members of her estranged husband's family by serving them a meal containing poisonous wild mushrooms two years ago. The trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in Morwell, outside of Melbourne, ran for more than two months and has...

The jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial has retired to deliberate the verdict, guilty or not guilty. But what happens in there behind closed doors?  When they retire to the deliberation room, should they leave all of their personal beliefs and prejudices at the door? And is this even possible?  How does it work?  In this episode from our special series Inside the Jury Room w...

US President Donald Trump has praised a landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down 'universal injunctions' issued by lower court judges, made in response to his executive order on birthright citizenship. What are the implications for numerous Trump administration policies blocked by court injunctions? And for the legal boundaries of presidential power?

The Federal Court has ruled that the ABC wrongfully dismissed journalist Antoinette Lattouf for reasons including that she "held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza." In this special episode, the Law Report looks at what the verdict means for the ABC, and employers and employees more generally.

Warren Tredrea, a prominent Adelaide football personality who unsuccessfully sued Channel 9 for unfair dismissal, has argued in court that his legal debt to the media organisation was settled with a written IOU note. Is this an example of 'pseudolaw'? And how do pseudolegal arguments impact on the courts' work?

Huge property loss is upending the lives of communities in flood-hit parts of New South Wales — what's happening to the rise in insurance claims in areas prone to flooding? And a look back at 50 years of the Australian Racial Discrimination Act. 

Can art change lives? Confined 16 is an exhibition in Melbourne of First Nations artists who picked up the paint brush while they were in prison. 

The return of high-profile whistleblowing cases to court has renewed calls for legislative reform in Australia to better protect, provide oversight and support to, those who expose wrongdoing in the public and private sectors.

A Victorian woman is on trial accused of poisoning her lunch guests by serving them a meal laced with death cap mushrooms. And a Tasmanian couple banned from taking their alpaca into a supermarket is accusing the store of disability discrimination.

Does pill testing save lives? Damien Carrick visits a pop-up service at a Melbourne music event where substances are checked, and staff talk to partygoers about reducing risk when using drugs. 

In 2016, Queensland was the first Australian jurisdiction create a stand-alone offence of non-fatal strangulation. Since then, every other state and territory has followed its lead - most recently Victoria. Almost a decade on, the Queensland Law Reform Commission is conducting an inquiry into the offence. 

What's behind the Labor Party's overwhelming election victory? And can AI-based technology be used to discriminate against job applicants?

Two recent court decisions could help shape the debate, and perhaps the law, on when children can be given puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapy.

The Hon. Debbie Mortimer , Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, joins Damien Carrick in a conversation about live streaming court cases, suppression orders and access to court documents.

A Queensland man convicted of murder has failed to convince the High Court to strike out laws that were used to deny him parole for refusing to cooperate with authorities searching for one of his victims. And the fate of endangered forest glider possums could be a little safer following a ruling that allows a community environmental group to prosecute the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales.

U.S President Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs has sent shockwaves through the world economy, but are these liberation day tariffs constitutional? Meanwhile, in the federal budget, the government included a surprise announcement that it will ban certain non-compete clauses. What will this mean for small businesses as well as low wage employees?

The Trump administration's clashes with the US judicial system are escalating, and two federal judges are in the eye of the storm.

An emoji, a protest placard and a tweet by a soccer fan have all led to criminal charges in Britain. Were the prosecutions appropriate? 

How can we improve the experience of survivors of sexual assault in the legal system? The Australian Law Reform Commission has released the findings of a major inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence. 

The federal opposition has vowed to roll back remote work entitlements for public servants if it wins the next election — a policy the Labor government says was stolen from US president Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in favour of a dad who wanted an extra "work from home" day.