Justice
Kilkenny urged to axe privacy protections for high-profile Victorians
“It is very, very difficult to distinguish legitimate cases and cases where they are just trying it on,” one legal expert said.
- Chip Le Grand and Erin Pearson
Latest
‘It’s wrong’: Former judge says mental health suppression orders threaten court system
Victoria’s Attorney-General says the state is working to balance transparency and fairness in the courts, while a former judge says mental health suppression orders are the system’s biggest worry.
- Cassandra Morgan and Chip Le Grand
Case closed: Growing hostility between media, judiciary impacting open justice
Court reporters have gone from being an indispensable part of an open justice system to the enemy of judges, a report has found, and it’s a serious problem for transparency.
- Chip Le Grand
More than 1000 people charged in first year of domestic violence choking laws
Police have laid more than 1300 charges of intentional choking, suffocating or strangling under a landmark new offence introduced in Victoria last year.
- Melissa Cunningham and Craig Butt
- Exclusive
- Diagnosing Murder
Outraged by her partner’s shaken baby case, Kellie joined the police and got a law degree
In the aftermath of the devastating court case, this mother wanted to help others avoid the same trauma. The judge who heard the case has backed her calls for change.
- Michael Bachelard
- Exclusive
- Prisons
‘Abysmal’ completion rates for prison education leads to recidivism fears
Efforts to rehabilitate offenders through education in prison failing abysmally, say experts, who are calling for a new approach.
- Noel Towell
- Exclusive
- Extremism
Australia’s biggest Nazi group to disband to escape jail ahead of crackdown
Australia’s neo-Nazis will formally disband ahead of the Albanese government’s crackdown, but experts say they are far from done.
- Sherryn Groch and Paul Sakkal
- Exclusive
- Melbourne childcare crisis
Childcare watchdog had one inspector for every 66 Victorian services
The troubling picture of children left at risk shows the slim resourcing of the state regulator at a time when reports of sex offences had tripled in five years.
- Sherryn Groch and Carla Jaeger
- Exclusive
- For subscribers
Thousands face imprisonment over ‘zombie warrants’ from repealed fines law
Thousands of Victorians face imprisonment from “zombie” arrest warrants for unpaid fines under laws repealed in 2017 after parliament admitted they were unjust.
- Clay Lucas
- Exclusive
- Crime
Sex offender under ‘supervision’ in community attacked woman during violent crime spree
The man is among sex offenders who have committed violent crimes while on supervision orders but whose cases have been hidden from the public and protected by legislation.
- Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola