Law Report

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.

Ife Thompson, a barrister focused on racial and language justice, and Abbena Uw Subempa, an LSE professor studying the intersection of rap and law, discuss the complexities of language and identity in legal cases. They dissect high-profile prosecutions in Britain, highlighting cultural misunderstandings around language use and its impact on racial identity. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for a culturally sensitive legal framework, especially in cases involving artistic expression and linguistic rights, shedding light on how race shapes legal perceptions.

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.