Law Report

Can the organisers of a sporting event be held liable for a participant's injuries? And new rules allow Centrelink staff to consider evidence of domestic abuse when assessing a person's relationship status to determine if they're eligible for income support payments.

We've all heard of 'sovereign citizens', a term referring to people who don't believe the law applies to them. But how much do we know about this group and its impact on the courts?

Is there a connection between the Fox News defamation settlement with US voting technology company Dominion and Lachlan Murdoch's withdrawal of legal action against the publisher of Crikey? And what do the sentencing remarks reveal about the secret trial of 'Witness J'?

What happens to tens of thousands of COVID-related fines in NSW after a Supreme Court ruling raised questions about their validity? How dangerous are the ageing oil tankers that help Russia dodge sanctions?

The ACT Legislative Assembly is considering a draft law to protect intersex children from undergoing deferrable and non-urgent medical treatments. And is the use of cryptocurrency really the marker of a sophisticated legal mind? A warning that this episode contains descriptions of surgical procedures.

In a legal first, a court in Western Australia has convicted three members of an outlaw motorcycle gang for displaying their club tattoos in public.

Former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne, a member of the Constitutional Expert Panel, speaks to the Law Report about the Federal Government's proposed referendum, and constitutional amendments, to create an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

An SAS veteran has been charged with the war-crime of murder under Australian law. A NSW  judge has quashed the prison sentence of a protestor, and a cosmetic company selling a Botox alternative wins in the High Court.

The High Court has overturned the murder convictions of four men found guilty of killing a man in an Adelaide cannabis grow house. And, if a prisoner has a tax-related question, who can they turn to? 

Lawyers for former US marine Daniel Duggan have lodged a complaint to the UN Human Rights Committee citing 'degrading' detention conditions as his extradition case is set to return to court.

The US city of Seattle has banned caste-based discrimination and there are calls for Australia to legislate similar protections. And, the UN independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal Borloz, is in Sydney to address the WorldPride Human Rights Conference.

'Facial recognition for cows', GPS animal tags and DNA testing represent some of the technology being developed to help investigate and solve livestock theft and other farm-related crimes.

Could changes to visa cancellation policies under section 501 of the Migration Act signal a softening of Australia's stand on deportation on character grounds? Also, the sticky note at the centre of a legal challenge to deportation. And fugitive Darko Desic is allowed to stay in Australia.

A Victorian coroner has described the treatment of an Indigenous woman in prison as inhumane and her death preventable. Arrested on the suspicion of minor shoplifting charges, the woman was denied bail. As the Victorian Parliament resumes sitting, Premier Dan Andrews has committed to overhauling the state's strict bail laws. With the permission of the family — we are using the name and the voice o...

If you are responsible for a motor vehicle accident, just how far does your legal liability extend? A court decision could upend the assumption that in an accident, the car behind is always at fault. And a controversial case involving drug use in a parked car may be heading to the High Court.

The Federal Administrative Appeals Tribunal or AAT is to be axed, why and what will replace it? Remote signing of Wills was introduced as a COVID emergency measure, but as a new decision shows, there can be traps.

The New South Wales Supreme Court has ordered a judicial review in the convictions of the so-called 'Croatian Six'. Justice Robertson Wright said there are doubts and questions about the evidence used to convict the men in 1981. This episode first aired in September 2022.

Electric scooters are becoming an increasingly popular form of transport, but there is a confusing mosaic of laws that regulate their use across Australia. So, when accidents happen – who should be held legally liable? 

Should patents be granted to Artificial Intelligence algorithms? Should machines have copyright over the art works they generate? What about animals? This episode first aired in June 2022.

In the second of a two-part series, the Law Report speaks with members of the International Association of Women Judges in several countries. They explain the obstacles women judges face and what gender diversity brings to legal decision making.

In the first of a two-part series on women judges, the Law Report focuses on the experience of judge Shakila Abawi Shigarf, who was forced to flee Afghanistan when the Taliban retook power in August 2021.

The Federal Court has confirmed native title over more than 40,000 square kilometres of sea country in the Torres Strait region. For the first time the claim brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to achieve joint native title outcomes.

In the final part of a special for the Law Report we dig through recent cases with legal experts to find out what you can do when the neighbours want to build up and block the sunlight from hitting solar panels on your roof.

Medibank is the second high-profile company to be investigated by the Commonwealth privacy regulator over large-scale data breaches in recent months. Where does the government's legislative response fit within the broader review of the Privacy Act? And in the final part of a special for The Law Report, we dig through recent cases with legal experts to find out your right when the neighbour plans t...

When you are fighting with your neighbour over things like noise, trees or pets, whose side is the law on? In the third of a four-part special for the Law Report we dig through recent cases with legal experts to find out your rights when it comes to keeping pets in apartments.