Courts
Sentencing, appeals, judgments and inquests from Victoria’s Magistrates’, County, Supreme, and Coroners courts, in plain English. Edited by Eliza Hartman.
-
Victoria’s 2023 Bail Reforms: Who They Were Designed to Free
Victoria rewrote its bail laws in 2023, softening a decade of post-Bourke-Street toughening. Here is what changed, who it was…
Read More » -
Labor vows tougher youth justice after 109 charges dropped
The Victorian government says it will act to strengthen consequences for young offenders after Victoria Police withdrew 109 charges against…
Read More » -
More Than a Death Certificate: How Victoria’s Coroners Court Drives Change
Victoria's Coroners Court does far more than record cause of death. Eliza Hartman explains the Prevention Unit, mandatory inquests, and…
Read More » -
Victoria’s bail overhaul: what the 2023 reforms actually changed
Victoria quietly rewrote its bail laws in 2023, walking back parts of the post-Bourke Street crackdown. Eliza Hartman explains what…
Read More » -
Coroner hears Freeman taunted dying officer in Porepunkah ambush
A Victorian coronial directions hearing has been told Dezi Freeman yelled abuse at a fatally wounded constable during the August…
Read More » -
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.
Read More » -
Drug overdose and harm reduction in Victoria
Penington Institute data, take-home naloxone, supervised injecting, pill-testing pilots and pharmacotherapy programs in Victoria.
Read More » -
Hate crime in Victoria: how it’s recorded, charged and prosecuted
How hate-crime aggravation works in Victorian sentencing law, the 2024 anti-vilification reforms, the Prejudice Investigation Division, and how to report.
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More »
