Oceania: Criminal Law

New police powers in NSW allow officers to seize and destroy non-compliant e-bikes without court oversight. Understanding what makes an e-bike legal and when police can confiscate your device has become critical for riders across the state.

New South Wales has introduced permanent legislation allowing police to use metal detector wands to scan people for knives in designated public areas, following successful trial operations that seized 380 weapons. The reforms expand police powers while raising concerns about civil liberties, racial profiling, and the potential for these scans to become stepping-stones for more invasive searches, despite knife crime being at an all-time low in NSW.

The NSW Court of Appeal has struck down sweeping anti-protest laws enacted after the Bondi Beach terror attack, ruling that police powers to ban public assemblies across broad geographic areas violated constitutional protections for political communication. The landmark decision examines whether governments can impose blanket restrictions on peaceful protests during times of heightened security concerns, and what constitutional limits exist on such powers.

A Spent Conviction Order can limit when a criminal conviction must be disclosed, but it does not erase the conviction. Understanding when disclosure is still required for employment, overseas travel, Working with Children Checks, and professional licensing is crucial for anyone with a spent conviction navigating these complex obligations.

New South Wales has introduced strict legislation targeting landlords who knowingly permit tenants to sell illicit tobacco and vapes from their premises. With penalties reaching $165,000 and potential imprisonment, property owners must now actively monitor tenant activities and report suspicious behavior. The legislation also grants landlords new powers to terminate leases when closure orders are issued, fundamentally changing the landlord-tenant relationship in commercial retail settings.

An undischarged bankrupt faces strict legal obligations including cooperating with trustees, disclosing all property and financial changes, and obtaining consent before international travel. What are the criminal penalties for breaching these restrictions, and how can early disclosure and proper legal advice help navigate trustee negotiations more effectively than denial or delay?

There are laws in place to ensure that Police do not abuse the arrest powers they have been granted.

This article explains what constitutes illicit tobacco, how it is treated under Victorian and Federal law, and what legal consequences individuals and businesses may face if charged.

Scammers often seek to confer legitimacy by impersonating reputable law firms or IP practitioners.

Australia is proposing a world-first corporate criminal offence for failing to prevent modern slavery in supply chains, requiring organisations to adopt adequate procedures to identify and mitigate risks.

A Spent Conviction Order can limit when a criminal conviction must be disclosed, but it does not erase the conviction. Understanding when disclosure is still required for employment, overseas travel, Working with Children Checks, and professional licensing is crucial for anyone with a spent conviction navigating these complex obligations.

Queensland's Uniform Civil Procedure Rules require specific matters—including fraud, breach of contract, damages, and states of mind—to be expressly pleaded with supporting material facts. This comprehensive guide examines Rule 150's requirements, explains what "specifically pleaded" means in practice, and demonstrates through case law how deficient pleadings can be struck out or limit evidence at trial.