The following lecture notes relate to a presentation give to ‘the floor’ of the Sir Owen Dixon Chambers by Dr Robert Cavanagh.
The presentation used the case of Kathleen Folbigg as a case example to examine the limitations of the criminal appeal process in Australia as it relates to victims of injustice and to propose an alternative approach – creating a Criminal Case Review Commission.
In colonial times the emphasis was on controlling convicts, eliminating bushrangers, and expropriating Aboriginal land by force frequently involving murder. These activities paid little, if any, attention to due legal processes or fundamental legal rights.
Offshore detention has been a policy of the Australian government since the Howard years. Mark Basa is currently held on Christmas Island – but how much does offshore detention cost and who profits from it. The Guardian recently published an article about the company that manages the detention centre on Nauru.
A copy of the request to the NSW State Coroner to open a Coronial inquest into the deaths of Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura Folbigg.
The media has followed the case since its inception. While the earlier reports were demonising, the later scientific evidence has raised the obvious question – did the court get it wrong? This question is not only raised in the Australian…
Mark Basa has been at the Villawood Detention Centre for several years. Without warning and in the middle of the night, he was recently taken from Villawood to Perth where he stayed for a number of weeks. Then, again in the middle of the night and without warning, he was taken in chains to Christmas Island.
Table of Contents Pardon and Parole Powers and Procedures in New South Wales This short paper has been prepared because some parliamentarians in New South Wales have indicated they do not understand the law as it relates to the exercise…