O7540 Justice

Rise in seizures from jail searches

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Original article by Amanda Banks
The West Australian – Page: 8 : 19-Jan-15

Data from Western Australia’s Department of Corrective Services shows that the number of prohibited items confiscated from the state’s prisoners has risen from 548 in 2009-10 to 1,157 in 2013-14. The average number of prison inmates has increased from 4,759 to 5,029 over the same period. John Welch of the state’s Prison Officers’ Union has expressed particular concern about a sharp increase in the number of weapons being found in prisons

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CORRECTIVE SERVICES,{SPAC}WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PRISON OFFICERS’ UNION OF WORKERS

Commonwealth legal services spending rises

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Original article by Nicola Berkovic
The Australian – Page: 23 : 16-Jan-15

New figures show that the Australian Government’s expenditure on legal services increased by around $A6m in 2013-14, to $A688.6m. There was a $A10m blowout in the cost of the Government’s in-house legal teams during the financial year, although there was a slight decline in the amount paid to private law firms. Clayton Utz accounted for about 11 per cent of the government legal work that was outsourced to private firms

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CLAYTON UTZ, ASHURST AUSTRALIA, DLA PIPER, MINTER ELLISON, SPARKE HELMORE, NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT AUSTRALIA, CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH, MADDOCKS LAWYERS, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS, AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SOLICITOR, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

No proposals to change lockout laws, Baird says

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Original article by Nicole Hasham
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 3 : 16-Jan-15

New South Wales Deputy Premier Troy Grant recently signalled an early review, and possible reform, of liquor laws introduced in February 2014. They mean operators of licensed venues in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross area must "lock out" patrons after 1.30am, and cease selling alcohol at 3am. Pubs and clubs had applauded any move to have the regulations scaled back, but this was opposed by police and by doctors’ lobby groups. Premier Mike Baird has now ruled out amending the current system

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE ASSOCIATION, FOUNDATION FOR ALCOHOL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LIMITED, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF TOURISM, SPORT AND RECREATION

Date revealed for inquest into cafe siege deaths

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Original article by Rachel Olding
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 3 : 15-Jan-15

A coronial inquest into the siege at Lindt Cafe in Sydney’s Martin Place will begin on 29 January 2015. A New South Wales Coroner’s Court official said on 14 January that the inquest will examine whether the three deaths could have been prevented, rather than apportioning blame. Jeremy Gormly SC has been selected as counsel assisting the coroner. It has been reported that a police bullet killed one of the hostages, Katrina Dawson

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CORONER’S COURT (NEW SOUTH WALES), LINDT AND SPRUNGLI (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Prosecutions office may have left itself vulnerable

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Original article by Josh Gordon
The Age – Page: 4 : 15-Jan-15

The Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions has decided not to recommend charges over a stolen dictaphone, which featured in a political scandal. The device was reported as lost by a Fairfax Media journalist at the Australian Labor Party’s state conference in May 2014 in Melbourne. Kosmos Samaras, assistant state secretary of the Victorian branch of the party, told the police that he took the device from a lost-property box and downloaded audio files from the dictaphone, which he later destroyed

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FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, VICTORIA POLICE

Doctors, police call for lockout laws statewide

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Original article by Nicole Hasham
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 2 : 14-Jan-15

The New South Wales (NSW) Government remains non-committal on whether it will reform liquor laws rolled out in February 2014. They force the operators of licensed venues in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross area to "lock out" patrons after 1.30am, and finish selling alcohol at 3am. A review will take place in mid-2015. While pubs and clubs want the regulations to be scaled back, their extension to all of the state is backed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the NSW Police Association

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE ASSOCIATION, POLICE FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA, ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, WESTMEAD HOSPITAL, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NSW) LIMITED, ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL SYDNEY LIMITED, KEEP SYDNEY OPEN, AUSTRALIAN HOTELS ASSOCIATION (NEW SOUTH WALES)

Man who died in police custody shot with Taser at McDonald’s

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Original article by Megan Levy
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 2 : 13-Jan-15

An autopsy will be conducted on a man who died in police custody in Bowral, New South Wales. Capsicum spray and a taser had been used on Kevin Norris, who was arrested after a violent confrontation with police at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant. There is thought to be footage of the 38-year-old’s conduct at the scene and of his collapse in the police station. Two officers were treated for head injuries after the arrest. A critical incident investigation is underway into the death

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McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NEW SOUTH WALES POLICE FORCE

Terror failings ‘expose data flaws’

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Original article by Jared Owens
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Jan-15

Australian Attorney-General George Brandis claims it is "urgent" for telcos to be required to keep customers’ telephone and internet records for a minimum of two years. Critics of the Government’s data retention proposals say the Sydney siege and Paris terrorism attacks show that the reforms cannot safeguard people against extremists. Senator Scott Ludlam of the Australian Greens points out that the authorities were familiar with the perpetrators in both Sydney and Paris

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AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION

No free time

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Original article by Daniel Emerson
The West Australian – Page: 1 : 13-Jan-15

Some 1,127 fine defaulters in Western Australia opted to serve time in jail rather than pay their fine or undertake community service in 2013-14. In contrast, just 442 defaulters were jailed in 2007-08. Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis is concerned that many people are taking advantage of laws which allow multiple jail terms to be served concurrently. He has called for reforms such as longer jail periods and deducting the fines from the payments of welfare recipients rather than jailing them

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CORRECTIVE SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. CENTRELINK

Crown land a ‘big fire risk’

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Original article by Katherine Fleming
The West Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Jan-15

Western Australia’s Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades wants Crown land to be subject to the same laws regarding the mitigation of fire risks as privately-owned land. Association vice-president Dave Gossage notes that at present the penalties for private landowners do not apply to land that is managed by federal, state and local governments. Some 92 per cent of land in the state is Crown land

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ASSOCIATION OF VOLUNTEER BUSH FIRE BRIGADES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF LANDS