Law Report

Former Attorney General Christian Porter has discontinued his defamation litigation against the ABC. And power company AGL is taking Greenpeace to court arguing breach of trademark and copyright. AGL says the activist group should not have used its trademark in a series of parody advertisements that highlights its CO2 emissions.

We speak to the Chair and one of other the four commissioners who will preside over Victoria's ground breaking Yoo-rrook or Justice Commission. And new research has found that local court magistrates are the state-based judicial officers who suffer most from work-related stress.

Many victim survivors of sexual assault say they found giving evidence at trial a harrowing and re-traumatising experience. The Victorian Law Reform Commission is currently conducting an inquiry into ways to improve the responses of the justice system to sexual offences.

The Federal Court dismissed a challenge to the Morrison government's ban on Australian citizens returning from India. Justice Thawley ruled that the government was acting within its powers under the Biosecurity Act 2015.

And should professional sports people be able to continue playing when facing serious criminal charges?

Mohinder Singh, the truck driver responsible for the deaths of four Victorian police officers has been sentenced to a non parole period of 18 years. Richard Pusey, who callously filmed the tragedy has also been sentenced to 10 months jail after pleading guilty to a number of offences including outraging public decency. And, why did the NSW Workers Commission award $500,000 to the family of a truck driver who was high on ice and died after crashing his rig into a home, injuring a sleeping pensioner?

Australia's whistle-blower laws will be in the spotlight when a long-running, high-profile prosecution involving former ATO officer Richard Boyle comes back before the courts. Also, if a vaccine causes an injury, many countries have a vaccine injury compensation scheme. Do we need one in Australia?

The High Court of Australia rules that a married couple can conspire to commit a crime. Also, the challenges posed by emerging neuro technologies.

NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has found that the murders of teenagers Jack and Jennifer Edwards by their father were preventable. The Coroner identified a series of serious systemic failures which contributed to the crimes. Also, Victorian Coroner Paresa Spanos has recommended the adoption of pill testing after investigating the deaths of five young men who died in separate drug related incidents between July 2016 and January 2017.

The Victorian government is set to consider fully decriminalising sex work this year. Guest producer Carly Godden traces how, over the eras, the law in Victoria has regulated the commercial sex and adult industries.

 *Note there are sexual references in this program

On advice from the Solicitor-General, the PM shifts Christian Porter to Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. And following the NSW Court of Appeal ruling that Kathleen Folbigg stay behind bars, the Australian Academy of Science issues a strong statement saying 'there are medical and scientific explanations for the death of each of Kathleen Folbigg's children'. A petition from ninety eminent scientists also called for her immediate release.