Daily wrap
Labor urged to act swiftly on judicial body [The Australian paywall]
The Albanese government is under pressure to honour its pledge to set up a federal judicial commission following a High Court decision that protects judges from being personally sued.
This is the final video in a series that looked at US Presidential immunity, the immunity of the King and vice-regal officers, and the immunity of Members of Parliament and Ministers, from legal suits.
This video addresses the immunity of judges from civil actions, by giving an overview of the High Court of Australia's reasoning in Vasta v Mr Stradford (A Pseudonym) [2025] HCA 3. The case concerned a litigant who was wrongly imprisoned for contempt and who later sued the judge, the Commonwealth and Queensland for false imprisonment.
Police probe NSW prosecution office over leaks [The Australian paywall]
The investigation has revolved around the alleged leak by the office of the DPP to a commercial radio outlet of legally restricted information about an underage Aboriginal offender.
“Trailblazing job-sharing political candidate Lucy Bradlow and Bronwen Bock, yesterday filed an application in the Federal Court to prevent the Australian Electoral Commission from rejecting their nomination to run for a Victorian Senate seat in the upcoming federal election.”
Lawyer Rebekah Giles has demanded an apology and retraction of claims made by a Sydney restaurant after a Jewish man claimed he was engaged in a bona fide investigation of antisemitism.
Editor’s picks
How Scottish silk became an Australian legal star [The Australian paywall]
A barrister with a thick Scottish brogue who became a lawyer after falling in love with the television drama LA Law is leading one of the corporate watchdog’s biggest cases of the past decade.
In late 2023, leading Australian commercial law barrister Sebastian Hartford-Davis and barrister Zoe Bush authored a legal opinion on nature-related risks and directors’ duties. Building on the highly influential Hutley and Hartford-Davis opinions on climate change, this opinion highlighted how Australia’s economy is broadly exposed to risks from nature degradation and explained that nature-related dependencies and impacts can pose foreseeable financial risks to company interests, although risks will differ depending on a company’s sector and circumstances. This brings nature-related risks clearly within the scope of the legal duties of company directors under corporate law.
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Join us to hear from co-author of the legal opinion and barrister at Banco Chambers, Zoe Bush, followed by a discussion of emerging corporate responses to nature-related risks in Australia, moderated by Anna Skarbek (ClimateWorks Centre) and featuring:
Mark Beaufoy - Partner Kings Wood Mallesons & Monash Law Faculty Laura Bacon, Senior Policy Advisor - Australian Institute of Company Directors
Should wives get a slice of husband’s future earnings? [The Australian paywall]
Retired barrister Tom Kirk KC raises tricky questions about fairness (and even pets) in his new guide to separation and divorce.
Why the Star case has unnerved Australian boardrooms [AFR paywall]
“It’s a private company” is a big selling point for directors when headhunters call, and ASIC’s case against the embattled casino group is making many directors more nervous about public company boards.
Law has traditionally been seen as a respected and prestigious career. However, the cost of obtaining a law degree and qualifying as a solicitor in New South Wales can be high.
Victoria is reshaping the court system to bring justice to domestic violence victims without re-traumatising them.
Everyone has a right to be judged by a jury of their peers, but sometimes the peers also get up to no good.
Marrickville Legal Centre (MLC) has partnered with Women’s Legal Service Queensland and the Environmental Defenders Office to create a new legal practice management platform aimed at improving access to justice in Australia.
Better access to justice in the Northern Territory | Our ministers – Attorney-General’s portfolio
The Albanese Government has provided funding of $3.6 million over four years to open a Darwin Registry for the new Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) improving access to justice for residents of Darwin and the surrounding area.
The Government is providing $0.8m in funding to enable the ART to conduct hearings in regional and remote communities around Australia.
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