O7540 Justice

Store owner charged with three counts of murder

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Original article by Nick Ralston
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 2 : 24-Sep-14

On 23 September 2014, a man was charged with murder, after an explosion at a convenience store in Rozelle in Sydney killed three people on 4 September. The owner of the store was charged with three counts of murder, three counts of manslaughter and two of attempted murder, as well as 17 offences relating to the property damage from the fire. The man was in financial difficulties and lit the fire to gain an insurance payout

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NAB faces $4.3m harassment suit

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 17 : 24-Sep-14

National Australia Bank has declined to comment on a pending claim for damages by a former executive of its JBWere wealth management business. Antonia Thornton alleges in her statement of claim that she was subject to discrimination and harassment after revealing in 2009 that she was pregnant. Thornton also alleges that she was effectively forced to resign, as the discrimination continued after she returned from maternity leave

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NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, JBWERE LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Former MD to repay company $500,000

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 23-Sep-14

The Federal Court of Australia has ordered the former MD of explorer MHM Metals to repay over $A500,000 to the company. It found that John Rogers had misappropriated company funds through the sale of a boat in 2008. The company also plans to pursue claims for $A5 million against one of Rogers’ private companies, with allegations of related party transactions and conflicts of interest

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MHM METALS LIMITED – ASX MHM, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, PROJECT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION PTY LTD

Victoria Police apologise, pay compensation to bash victim

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Original article by Jane Lee
The Age – Page: 2 : 23-Sep-14

Victoria Police have apologised and paid compensation to a woman who was injured in a police raid in 1996. In 2001, the police and the state government were ordered to pay $A315,000 compensation to Corinna Horvath and three others. However, the government successfully appealed against the ruling. In May 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Commission ruled in favour of Horvath. On 19 September 2014, Chief Commissioner Ken Lay informed Horvath that an ex-gratia payment had been approved

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VICTORIA POLICE, UNITED NATIONS. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, COUNTY COURT OF VICTORIA, COURT OF APPEAL (VICTORIA)

New drunk, disorderly police powers penalise the most vulnerable

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Original article by Sean Nicholls
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 3 : 23-Sep-14

The New South Wales Ombudsman found that new "drunk and disorderly" police powers are disproportionately penalising vulnerable people. The ombudsman reviewed the first year of operation of the new powers from October 2011 to September 2012. During the period, 33,580 directions were issued to intoxicated people using the new powers. There were only 484 fines or charges, but 40 per cent were issued to vulnerable people

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NEW SOUTH WALES. OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE

Nats MP a reluctant drug crusader

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Original article by Harriet Alexander
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 10 : 22-Sep-14

New South Wales MP Kevin Anderson was persuaded to support the decriminalisation of cannabis for medicinal use. Lou and Lucy Haslem of Tamworth told the National Party MP about their son’s illness. After considering the issue, he promised to take action. Anderson will present a private member’s bill to the state Parliament

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NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, THE GREENS NSW INCORPORATED

Drunk, speeding diplomats give police the finger

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Original article by Marcus Mannheim
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 9 : 19-Sep-14

Police officers in Canberra are powerless when they stop diplomats who drive while intoxicated or use a mobile telephone while driving. They cannot press charges because of diplomatic immunity. Diplomats abuse their status often enough for the police to become alarmed. The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade has been asked to counsel those who were stopped by the police on several occasions

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Planning disputes at VCAT take fall as price rises

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Original article by Clay Lucas
The Age – Page: 14 : 19-Sep-14

The Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal heard 2,186 planning disputes in 2013-14, down from 3,443 the previous year. However, its annual report revealed that it received nearly $A1 million more. Fees rose significantly from July 2013. Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark said that changes to planning laws led to the drop in applications. The Opposition and a lawyer said that people could not afford the high fees

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VICTORIA. CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT, PLANNING AND LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Accused chemist robber admits he was stupid

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Original article by Tayissa Barone
The West Australian – Page: 5 : 18-Sep-14

On 17 September 2014, a man told a Perth court that his attempt to rob a pharmacy was foolish. The man is accused of threatening staff at a pharmacy and stealing cash and drugs. The staff fled from the store and workers and community members helped to block the doors to stop the man from escaping

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Lawyers appeal to High Court to overturn ‘breast cancer gene’ ruling

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Original article by Eryk Bagshaw, Amy Corderoy
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 11 : 18-Sep-14

Law firm Maurice Blackburn will seek to appeal a Federal Court ruling which found that private companies can patent human genes. The case concerned Myriad Genetics’ application for a patent over the BRCA1 gene, which is associated with breast cancer. Maurice Blackburn will argue that the court erred in concluding that the process of identifying a gene constitutes a form of manufacturing

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MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, MYRIAD GENETICS INCORPORATED, JONES DAY