Law Report

ABC Australia

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.

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249 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes249

Newest first

March 10 · 29 min
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.
March 5
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-
March 3 · 29 min
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.
February 24 · 29 min
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.
February 17 · 29 min
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.
February 10 · 29 min
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?
February 3 · 28 min
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?
January 27 · 29 min
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.
January 20 · 29 min
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.
January 13 · 29 min
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.
January 6 · 29 min
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.
Dec 30, 2025 · 28 min
How art is transforming the lives of First Nations prisoners
Can art change lives? The Confined 16 exhibition in Melbourne celebrated the works of First Nations artists who picked up the paint brush while they were in prison.
Dec 23, 2025 · 29 min
"What's in your drugs?": Pill testing at music events
Does pill testing save lives? The Law Report's Damien Carrick visits a pop-up service at a Melbourne music event where substances are checked, and staff talk to partygoers about reducing risk when using drugs.
Dec 16, 2025 · 29 min
Dezi Freeman and the sovereign citizens movement
This year saw a massive manhunt for alleged police shooter Dezi Freeman in Victoria's mountainous north east. In the past, the 56-year-old has been linked to the sovereign citizens movement. So, who are sovereign citizens? And what impact are they having on Australia's justice system?
Dec 9, 2025 · 36 min
What does Victoria's historic treaty mean for First Peoples?
What impact could Victoria's historic treaty have on policy, legislation and governance for the state's First Peoples?
Dec 2, 2025 · 29 min
US lawsuits allege ChatGPT encouraged suicides, harmed users' mental health
In the United States, there is increasing attention on young people's interactions with AI chatbots. OpenAI is being sued over allegations that its ChatGPT platform caused users to experience delusions and even encouraged some to take their own lives.
Nov 25, 2025 · 28 min
Countdown to Australia's social media ban
In two weeks' time, Australia's social media ban for children under 16 will come into force. How will it work? Will it protect kids from online harm? And could they find ways around the restrictions?
Nov 18, 2025 · 26 min
How legally tight are prenuptial agreements?
Are prenuptial agreements always legally watertight? Or can they be tossed out by the courts? The High Court recently handed down a decision that focused on a poorly drafted prenup and to what extent the disgruntled client could sue the lawyers who drafted the leaky document.
Nov 11, 2025 · 29 min
Whitlam dismissal 50 years on
November 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by Governor-General Sir John Kerr — an event that exposed and tested the architecture of Australia's constitution.
Nov 4, 2025 · 29 min
Fifty years of the Australian Law Reform Commission
The Australian Law Reform Commission is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Law Report's Damien Carrick hosted an event in Melbourne to mark its half century.