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 July 28

Episodes249

Newest first

Oct 28, 2025 · 28 min
Do we have a right to free speech in Australia?
The implied freedom of political communication has been at the centre of several recent high-profile court decisions. The Law Report asks: do Australians have a constitutional right to freedom of speech? And what form does it take?
Oct 21, 2025 · 29 min
FOI reform and government transparency; Prosecuting the spread of deepfakes online
The Federal Government says it wants to reform the Freedom of Information system - what's in the proposed changes? And is the law keeping up with the growing number of pornographic deepfake images of young people being shared online?
Oct 14, 2025 · 29 min
High Court lets police access evidence from encrypted app used in global raids
The High Court has unanimously upheld the use of police evidence obtained by monitoring an encrypted messaging app used by organised criminals. The decision is a huge victory for policing, but does it raise questions about the breadth of Australia's surveillance laws?
Oct 7, 2025 · 28 min
If a self-driving car crashes, who is liable?
As driver assistance technology become more prevalent, a persistent question remains: who is liable in the event of an accident? And looking into a future where fully driverless cars take to Australian roads: what new laws will we need?
Sep 30, 2025 · 29 min
How should wrongful convictions be compensated?
Queensland man Terry Irving was recently awarded $130,000 in damages for a malicious prosecution over 30 years ago. The Law Report looks at compensation for wrongful convictions in Australia and asks: do we need a better system?
Sep 23, 2025 · 29 min
Is Australia fulfilling its legal duty to act on climate change? And High Court orders return of Bolivian artefact
How does the recent advisory opinion handed down by the International Court of Justice shape discussions around climate change at the United Nations? And do Pacific island nations – among the most vulnerable to the impacts of global warming – believe Australia is doing enough to combat climate change?
Sep 16, 2025 · 29 min
Fifty years of PNG's independence constitution
Papua New Guinea is celebrating 50 years of independence from Australia. Among the country's historic achievements is the national constitution, created in the 1970s using a groundbreaking process of public consultations across PNG. Five decades on, how well has PNG's constitution served its people?
Sep 8, 2025 · 32 min
Erin Patterson mushroom murder sentence explained
"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," said Judge Christopher Beale in sentencing Erin Patterson to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for the murder of her elderly in-laws.
Sep 2, 2025 · 29 min
Dezi Freeman and 'sovereign citizens'
A massive manhunt for alleged police shooter Dezi Freeman is continuing in Victoria's mountainous north east. The 56-year-old, who is accused of killing two police officers, has expressed ideas linked to the 'sovereign citizen' movement. Who are sovereign citizens? And what impact are they having on Australia's justice system?
Aug 27, 2025 · 18 min
Law Report Special: Linda Reynolds wins defamation battle against Brittany Higgins
Former Coalition Federal Minister Linda Reynolds has won her defamation case against former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins. It has been widely reported that both parties literally put their houses on the line to fund their legal campaigns and today, almost a year after the trial wrapped, Justice Paul Tottle of the WA Supreme Court ordered that Brittany Higgins pay Linda Reynolds $315,000 in damages and $26,000 in interest. The trial centred on three social media posts written by Britta
Aug 26, 2025 · 29 min
Will 'post and boast' laws stop offenders bragging on social media? Australia tightens vaping regulations
Victoria is the latest jurisdiction to adopt laws that punish offenders who brag about their crimes on social media, as Western Australia considers a similar bill to increase the maximum prison sentence. Critics fear the legislation could stifle free speech and lead to a rise in youth incarceration. And Australian regulations around electronic cigarettes are being tightened - are the new rules working?
Aug 19, 2025 · 29 min
Nine's victory in Al Muderis defamation case; Legal fight over 'Never Get Busted' director credit
The Nine Network's Federal Court victory over high-profile surgeon Munjed Al Muderis marks the first time a media organisation has defended a defamation case on public interest grounds. And two people who claim to have directed a documentary being screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival are at the centre of an unusual legal fight.
Aug 12, 2025 · 29 min
Record damages in Mad Mex sexual harassment case; Reviewing the legal definition of terrorism
The Federal Court has awarded a record $305,000 in damages to a young woman who was sexually harassed by her employer at a Sydney fast food restaurant. And is it time to change how Australian law defines terrorism?
Aug 5, 2025 · 29 min
Legal conditions for Palestinian statehood; Electronic wills after Covid
As more countries move towards formal recognition of a Palestinian state, the Law Report examines the conditions for statehood under international law. And what are the risks, benefits and opportunities presented by electronic wills?
Jul 29, 2025 · 28 min
Federal Court says Australian women can sue Qatar Airways over airport body searches
The Law Report speaks to one of the Australian women who won the right to sue Qatar Airways after being subjected to invasive searches at a Doha airport in 2020. And what does the International Court of Justice say about Australia's responsibility to combat climate change?
Jul 22, 2025 · 28 min
ICJ to deliver climate advisory opinion; Denmark's plan to let citizens copyright their face and voice
As the International Court of Justice prepares to deliver a long-awaited climate advisory opinion, the Law Report explores the Federal Court ruling that Australia's government does not have a legal responsibility to protect Torres Strait islands from the impacts of climate change. And Denmark is planning to give citizens copyright protection over their face and voice.
Jul 15, 2025 · 28 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 and technology.
Jul 8, 2025 · 28 min
AI and automated decision making in government
Robodebt has shown that relying on automated decision making tools can be disastrous. What checks and balances could be developed to guide the safe and ethical use of AI in government operations, policy making and service delivery?
Jul 7, 2025 · 17 min
Law Report Special: Erin Patterson found guilty in triple mushroom murder
After seven days of deliberation, a jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of murder and attempted murder. The 50-year-old woman was found to have deliberately poisoned four members of her estranged husband's family by serving them a meal containing poisonous wild mushrooms two years ago. The trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in Morwell, outside of Melbourne, ran for more than two months and has drawn international attention.
Jul 3, 2025
What happens inside the jury room?
The jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial has retired to deliberate the verdict, guilty or not guilty. But what happens in there behind closed doors? When they retire to the deliberation room, should they leave all of their personal beliefs and prejudices at the door? And is this even possible? How does it work? In this episode from our special series Inside the Jury Room which first aired in 2018 Damien Carrick sets out to find the answer.