Category: Your Rights

Being prosecuted for a criminal or traffic offence can be a nerve-wracking experience. You may be unfamiliar with the process, unsure of the best way forward and concerned about the outcome. But whether you are charged with a less-serious matter such as drug possession, drink driving or common assault, or accused of something as serious ...

The NSW Council for Civil Liberties has been at the forefront of the Australian civil rights movement since 1963. Over the last 50 years, they’ve been tireless in their fight against censorship, abuse of authority, and injustice within the legal system. In 2010, the group played a pivotal role in passing legislation which banned the ...

With the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade rocking Sydney today, we’ve compiled some basic information about police searches to help you have a blast without your rights being violated: When can police search me? It’s a sure bet that police will have sniffer dogs patrolling in and around the Mardi Gras parade today, and ...

Airport security screening can be frustrating at times, and you may be subjected to a whole lot more than you would normally encounter on the street. But that doesn’t mean you have no rights at all when travelling to and from Australia. This blog covers your rights during some of the more common security procedures ...

Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night by two people yelling at each other from inside your property. Dorothy Isabel Ibbett awoke at 2am to find her son and a stranger yelling in her garage. Her son told the man to leave, and when Mrs Ibbett arrived in the garage, she did ...

It’s no secret that some police officers act outside of the law, including when it comes to arrests. For a range of reasons, those under arrest may be reluctant to assert their rights – even if they know they’ve done nothing wrong. They may not be aware of their rights, or may be afraid that ...

No one should be above the law, and that includes police. Unfortunately, not all police officers act within the bounds of the law. Citizens’ arrests can be made by an ordinary person if they see someone else breaking the law, but an interesting question is whether this extends to police officers who commit crimes. It should ...

The Northamptonshire police force has taken proactive steps to stop its officers from abusing their powers and searching people without reasonable cause. In the UK, as in Australia, police frequently conduct searches without a proper basis. These searches are illegal. The most common targets are ethnic minorities. But the Guardian reports that officers of the ...

Fearmongering is a useful political tactic for governments desperate to pass controversial laws which might otherwise be perceived as unjust or irrational. The creation of fear of a perceived enemy – whether communists, fascists or terrorists – has signified the American political landscape for several decades, with academics describing the ‘paranoid style of politics’ as ...

Many motor vehicle users are unsure about their rights when pulled over by police. So we’ve answered six of the top questions when it comes to your rights during traffic stops. 1. When can police pull me over? Police can pull you over if they have a reasonable suspicion that you are committing an offence. ...