Foreign Bribery: Analysing The Changes To The Criminal Code

In this episode, the wigs tackle a bill that passed the federal parliament recently and very substantially amended the part of the Criminal Code 1995 that creates crimes related to engaging in bribery in foreign countries. The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill 2023 pass…

Is Indefinite Detention Punitive? Who Can Impose It? We Have An Answer!

In this episode recorded on 19 December 2023, the wigs analyse the decision of the High Court in NZYQ v Minister for Immigration 2023 HCA 37, one of the most important public law decisions in recent decades which was handed down on 28 November 2023. In the decision, the court unanimously overturned…

Extra Wigs: The Law Is A Meme

In this Wigs Extra Episode we present something a little unusual: a speech that Wig Emmanuel Kerkyasharian gave to the Legal Studies Association.  Asked to speak about basic legal concepts in the context of the Legal Studies Syllabus, Emmanuel couldn’t resist the temptation to go philosophical, an…

Back for 2024! - Judge Newlinds and criticisms of the Director of Public Prosecutions

Welcome back to the Wigs for a brand new year! We have been on an extended summer break and hope you have enjoyed a great break too. In this episode, recorded at the end of last year, The Wigs examine a recent decision of NSW District Court Judge Newlinds in R v Martinez. The judgment has already b…

Felicity Graham interviews David Buchanan SC

This week we are delighted to have as a guest of the Wigs, David Buchanan SC. David is a quiet and unassuming legend of the criminal law in NSW.  Admitted to legal practice in 1975 and then called to the Bar in 1977, in the decades between then and now he has not wearied nor lost his zeal and profe…

The Vanderstock Decision: The Exclusive Power of the Commonwealth to Levy Duties of Excise

In this episode the wigs discuss Vanderstock and Victoria a very fiscally important recent decision of the High Court of Australia. The constitution reserves to the federal government the power to levy excises, essentially taxes on goods. The issue in Vanderstock was whether the Victorian governmen…

Stephen interviews Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull

This week Stephen sits down for a long-form chat with Bri Lee, author of the best selling memoir Eggshell Skull which details Bri's work as an associate in the Queensland District Court and her experience as a complainant survivor in the criminal justice system.

The Curious Case of Judge Vasta

This week the panel look at a truly unusual and interesting decision from Justice Wigney of the Federal Court which involved a serving federal judge being ordered to pay damages for wrongfully imprisoning a man he jailed for contempt of court.  Stradford (a pseudonym) v Judge Vasta 2023 FCA 1020 h…

Rodden v R - A Discussion About Costs In Criminal Proceedings

It is sometimes said in the law that nothing generates hard work and legal ingenuity more than a costs application.  This week the wigs examine a recent decision that was keenly awaited by the criminal law community in NSW. Rodden v R 2023 a decision of the nsw court of criminal appeal. Mr. Rodden …

Analysing The Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill.

This week the wigs examine the federal government’s proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill.  The draft Bill released by the Albanese government proposes a method to combat the phenomenon of Misinformation and Disinformation, said to be a gr…