Law Report
From courtroom dramas to miscarriages of justice, to how the law affects you — and so much more. The Law Report is your accessible guide to the big legal stories unfolding in Australia and across the world.
ABC Australia
Show overview
Law Report has been publishing since 2021, and across the 5 years since has built a catalogue of 255 episodes. That works out to roughly 120 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 29 min and 29 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Government show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 20 episodes already out so far this year. Published by ABC Australia.
From the publisher
From courtroom dramas to miscarriages of justice, to how the law affects you — and so much more. The Law Report is your accessible guide to the big legal stories unfolding in Australia and across the world.
Latest Episodes
View all 255 episodesDoes EMDR therapy taint a witness's recollection?
What does an election look like when there are no financial ground rules?
Scam victims want compensation as HSBC settles ASIC action
Why was Ben Roberts-Smith granted bail on war crimes charges?
Euthanasia: How Australia's approach compares to other countries
A cultural approach to reducing Indigenous reoffending
How accurate is facial recognition software?
The Law Report is asking some big picture questions about the pros and cons of facial recognition software use by police and retailers.
High Court says government can't use ankle bracelets, curfews to monitor former immigration detainees
Should the Federal Government have powers to restrict the movement of former immigration detainees in the community?
Are suppression orders out of control in Victoria?
How accurate is a recent report that claims Victorian courts issue more suppression orders than in any other Australian jurisdiction?
Should an offender's disadvantage have an impact on their sentence?
What arguments and information should courts be hearing when they are sentencing an offender? In April, a tool to assist defence lawyers and judges will go national.
Law Report Special: Star Casino executive directors breached their obligations under the Corporations Act
Matthias Bekier, former managing director of Star Entertainment, the company which operates Sydney’s Star Casino and Paula Martin, Star Entertainment’s former legal counsel both failed to address money laundering risks and criminal associations between 2017 and 2019.That’s the finding of Justice Michael Lee of the Federal Court, who at the same time dismissed similar cases against a number of Star Entertainment’s non-executive directors.What does this finding mean for both executive and non-executive directors?Guest: Anthony Whealy, former NSW Supreme Court judge, Chair of the Centre for Public Integrity and a Former New South Wales Court of Appeals Judge, he’s also a former assistant commissioner to the NSW ICAC. (Independent Commission Against Corruption)To hear more in-depth expert coverage of the important legal stories and cases of the week, search for The Law Report podcast on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
Claims chasers in natural disaster zones
The Law Report is shining a light on claims or disaster chasers who approach people whose homes have been damaged by a severe weather event.
Fifty years of 'no-fault' divorce in Australia
Two former family law judges sit down with Damien Carrick to revisit a time before no-fault divorce, when unhappy spouses often employed private detectives to prove adultery.
Is the right to protest being undermined in Australia?
Queensland has introduced a bill to ban the slogans "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada". Western Australia wants to give police the power to refuse a protest permit if a public event is deemed likely to promote hate. It comes after New South Wales imposed tight restrictions on the Sydney protest against the visit of Israel's president Isaac Herzog.
British AG Richard Hermer on Gaza, Israel, Greenland, and upholding the rule of law; Political donations buy access
The Law Report speaks to Richard Hermer, attorney general for England and Wales, who was in Australia recently with a message centred on upholding the rule of law. And why do individuals and corporations donate to political parties?
How useful is AI in creating better legal outcomes and processes?
Can artificial intelligence reveal the assumptions judges make? Or help lawyers and litigants to identify appeal arguments?
What's in Australia's new hate crime and gun control laws?
In the wake of the Bondi mass shooting, the federal government has passed two significant pieces of legislation that it says are aimed at preventing future attacks.
When a natural disaster strikes, what are your legal rights?
In the aftermath of Victoria's catastrophic bushfires, we look at how communities attempt to rebuild their lives and homes. We also discuss navigating complex legal issues, including insurance, debts, tenancy rights, and fakes tradies or other scammers who prey on vulnerable people in the wake of natural disasters.
Defining death: ALRC examines laws around human tissue and organs
In Australia, 'what is death' and other legal definitions, such as what constitutes human tissue, have not kept up with advances in medical science. The Australian Law Reform Commission is conducting the first review of human tissue laws in nearly 50 years.
Race, language and the Law
An emoji, a protest placard and a tweet by a soccer fan have all led to criminal charges in Britain. The Law Report explores how language and cultural expression are used in the prosecution of non-white people for race hate offences.