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Eliza Hartman

Eliza Hartman is the chief courts reporter for Victoria Crime News. She has spent more than a decade covering County Court trials, Supreme Court appeals and coronial inquests across Melbourne. She holds a Master of Journalism and writes about sentencing trends, criminal procedure, and public-interest litigation in Victoria.

Explainers
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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Victoria’s bail laws: what changed and why
Victoria's bail tests, the 2017 reforms, the 2023 wind-back, the unacceptable risk threshold, and why this debate keeps coming back.
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Explainers
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) explained
What IBAC investigates, the threshold for public examinations, its relationship with the Victorian Inspectorate, and how to make a complaint.
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Family Violence
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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Intervention orders in Victoria: how to get one and how they work
Family violence intervention orders, personal safety intervention orders, application process, conditions, breaches, and the support available through Victorian courts.
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Courts
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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Coronial inquests in Victoria: what they are and why they matter
The Coroners Court of Victoria investigates more than 6,000 reportable deaths a year. Here's how the inquest system works and…
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Courts
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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The Victorian appeals process: how convictions and sentences are challenged
From the County Court to the High Court: how appeals work in Victoria and the recent reforms that have changed…
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Courts
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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Sentencing in Victoria: how judges actually decide a penalty
The principles, the standard sentences, the maximums and the discounts: how a Victorian judge moves from verdict to sentence.
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Courts
Eliza HartmanMay 6, 2026
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How a Victorian criminal trial works: from charge to verdict
A step-by-step explainer for non-lawyers: charge, mention, committal, plea, trial, verdict, sentence and appeal in Victoria.
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Big Build Watch
Eliza HartmanApril 18, 2026
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Cost blow-outs on the Big Build: where the numbers actually come from
The Auditor-General's published critiques, the PBO's analysis and the accountability gaps in Victoria's major-projects costings.
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Pub & Club Arson
Eliza HartmanApril 15, 2026
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Arson charges in Victoria: how the law works and what penalties are on the table
The Crimes Act provisions, sentencing landscape and youth-recruitment law for arson offences in Victoria.
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Courts
Eliza HartmanApril 8, 2026
0
The County Court precinct upgrades: what’s changing for victims and witnesses
What's changing in the Melbourne court precinct for victims, witnesses and remote-witness facilities in 2026.
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