NSW

• 2024 Review of the Dust Diseases Scheme

  29th Oct 2024

• Use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options

  10th Sep 2024

• Case summary: Hornsby Shire Council v Salman [2024] NSWCA 155

  29th Aug 2024

  Beth Rolton of Travis Schultz & Partners summarises a council’s attempt to reformulate risk of harm in an appeal against liability for injury at a children’s playground.

• NSW worker's compensation win after dog attack while working from home

  8th Aug 2024

  Craig Joshua outlines how the Personal Injury Commission determined that an activity seemingly unconnected to a worker’s role was an injury occurring in the course of employment, the worker’s employment was a substantial contributing factor, and they were eligible to claim workers compensation.

• Raise the Age advocacy as part of community safety inquiry

  26th Jun 2024

• Impact of the regulatory framework for cannabis in New South Wales

  6th Jun 2024

• Calls for birth trauma injuries to be addressed across Australia

  29th May 2024

  All Australian states and territories should fund the resources needed to better address the risks and consequences of birth trauma, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance, following the NSW Select Committee on Birth Trauma releasing its recommendations today.

• One-stop justice plan breaks down the borders

  14th Mar 2024

  Julie Tongs OAM has written to the ACT Attorney-General and Minister for Corrections to explain why a NSW/ACT cross-border justice scheme is necessary to improve law enforcement and the administration of justice. More importantly, it could reduce reoffending by encouraging increased participation in prison training and education programs.

• The implementation of Portfolio Committee No. 2 recommendations relating to workforce issues, workplace culture and funding considerations for remote, rural and regional health

  7th Nov 2023

• Proposed NSW drug diversion program is a small step in the right direction but it is not enough

  10th Oct 2023

  Legislation to introduce a pre-court diversion scheme for people caught in possession of small amounts of illicit substances is a small step in the right direction, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• NSW budget: welcome commitment to ‘closing the gap’ initiatives

  19th Sep 2023

  The NSW Government’s commitment to ‘closing the gap’ initiatives is a welcome inclusion in the state budget announced today, as is the focus on women and multicultural communities, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance.

• Psychological injury claims after employer-implemented vaccine mandates

  14th Sep 2023

  Two recent decisions by the NSW Personal Injury Commission (PIC) have awarded compensation to workers who suffered a psychological injury as a result of their employer’s implementation of the public health orders that established mandatory vaccinations for education and care workers in 2021. Craig Joshua of Hall Payne Lawyers discusses the details. 

• The legal wife, the de facto wife and the deceased estate – which case won?

  10th Aug 2023

  What happens after a man who led a double life dies? The deceased’s will assigned all of his property, worth $230,812, to his de facto wife. His legal wife took action and his de facto wife appealed. Elizabeth Hull of Stacks Law Firm provides expert commentary on the Court of Appeal's ultimate decision. 

• Is a subcontractor responsible for a safety breach on a construction site?

  15th Feb 2023

  Geoff Baldwin of Stacks Law Firm provides expert commentary on workplace health and safety duties, standards and responsibilities in complex projects, elucidating a clouded case.  

• Display of Nazi symbol now a jailable offence in NSW

  19th Jan 2023

  In response to an increase in right-wing extremism, NSW has joined Victoria in criminalising the public display of Nazi symbols without a reasonable excuse. Michael McHugh of Stacks Law Firm, Tamworth, discusses the new law, including the legal difficulties.

• Blind and vision-impaired voters in NSW affected by decommissioning of iVote

  1st Dec 2022

  iVote enabled blind and vision-impaired people to cast an anonymous, independent vote for the first time, when it was introduced in 2011, through screen reader software that ‘speaks’ the text. But the internet-voting system crashed under the weight of demand in 2021, and three council elections had to be voided by the courts. The NSW Electoral Commissioner has dropped iVote for the March 2023 state election, explaining that the software is being phased out and there isn't time to set up and test a new version. The impact on blind and vision-impaired citizens is inordinate. Nick Burton expresses concern.

• Barrister Ngaire Watson wins ALA Member of the Year Award

  21st Oct 2022

  A NSW barrister specialising in health and medical litigation, Ngaire Watson, has been awarded the 2022 Australian Lawyers Alliance’s (ALA) Member of the Year Award.

• Combative approach to workers compensation psychological injury claims is causing harm

  10th Oct 2022

  The current combative approach taken to managing claims made for psychological injury under the NSW workers compensation scheme must be fixed, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Overdue NSW Government response to ice inquiry is disappointing

  21st Sep 2022

  With its refusal to decriminalise the personal use of drugs, the NSW Government has missed an important opportunity today to reduce drug use and save lives.

• ‘I became a quadriplegic while wakeskating because the boat driver was negligent.’ Which case won?

  21st Sep 2022

  Did the boat driver owe a duty of care to the wakeskater? Was the wakeskater aware of an obvious risk? What is a dangerous recreational activity? Chris Clarke draws on 28 years of legal practice to provide expert commentary.

• Should juries be told the criminal history of the defendant?

  15th Sep 2022

  How much should a jury know? asks John Gooley, unpacking ‘a question that comes up time and again in discussions of justice and the law’ – with reference to a tragic case in Picton last week, where the past history of the defendant was made very public before a plea was even entered.

• Can you put conditions in a will? Laws around conditional gifts and bequests in NSW

  8th Jun 2022

  How capricious can a testator be? What if the conditions in their will are uncertain, difficult to achieve or in conflict with public policy? And when can a beneficiary take the money and run? Joshua Crowther answers some curly questions around conditional gifts and bequests, with reference to precedent decisions by judges on cases concerning religious freedom and racial discrimination.

• Drug law reform in NSW will save lives: Proposed drug diversion program small step in the right direction

  2nd Jun 2022

  Reforming drug laws in NSW will save lives says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) in response to the Attorney-General’s proposal to trial a pre-court drug diversion program.

• Voluntary assisted dying laws in NSW welcome: Call to allow NT & ACT to pass own VAD laws

  19th May 2022

  Voluntary assisted dying laws in NSW will now provide much needed clarity and compassion for people with a terminal illness, their families, and the medical professionals who help them to manage their final days.

• New NSW police powers are dangerously broad

  17th May 2022

  Extraordinary new powers given to NSW police which allow them to search an individual and their home without a warrant are too broad and lack appropriate oversight, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Rural and regional health inquiry report welcome but must be actioned urgently

  5th May 2022

  The NSW Government is urged to promptly implement the recommendations in the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry’s report into rural and regional health to help prevent further tragedies caused by failures in the system, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• NSW president Joshua Dale receives Member of the Year Award

  10th Mar 2022

  The current Australian Lawyers Alliance’s (ALA) NSW state president, Joshua Dale, has been recognised as the organisation’s member of the year for 2021.

• Pattern of mental health discrimination in insurance industry

  24th Feb 2022

  Concerns raised by the Human Rights Commission have been consolidated in a report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre investigating how life insurers treat people with past or current mental health conditions. Nick Burton discusses the issues and the implications.  

• Who has to pay for repairs? The landlord or the tenant?

  27th Jan 2022

  Storm damage, gas leaks, mould, wall cracks, water stains – repairs are required from time to time at all properties, but when the property is a rental, working out who is responsible can be ambiguous. David Crossan, David Thompson and Neville Hesford clarify. 

• NSW Coroner’s Court needs restructure and more resourcing to reduce delays

  29th Sep 2021

  The NSW Coroner’s Court needs to be restructured and better resourced to reduce the current extensive delays, allow it to better examine systemic issues and ensure its recommendations are acted on, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Reduce prison numbers to minimise need for prison lockdowns

  30th Aug 2021

  The use of lockdowns to control the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state’s prison system is inhumane, amounts to solitary confinement and will cause serious harm to families of prisoners, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Government and courts urged to release prisoners and grant bail to minimise COVID-19 risk

  17th Aug 2021

  Government and courts are being urged to activate legislation passed in NSW last year to reduce the number of people in prison, following the impact of COVID-19 at both Bathurst Correctional Centre and Silverwater Jail in recent days.

• Should voluntary assisted dying be legalised in NSW?

  8th Jul 2021

  In NSW, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill failed to pass the upper house in 2017. Alongside reignited discussion around legislation on this controversial topic, Joshua Crowther provides an overview of the current position of voluntary assisted dying in NSW, documenting end of life care in a will, and advanced care directives.

• NSW affirmative consent laws unlikely to make a real difference

  25th May 2021

  The affirmative consent laws announced by the NSW Government today are unlikely to make a real difference to the victim’s experience in a criminal sexual assault trial, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Hunter left out of regional and rural health inquiry

  29th Apr 2021

  Hunter based health lawyer and Australian Lawyers’ Alliance (ALA) NSW spokesperson on health, Catherine Henry, is disappointed that the parliamentary inquiry brought on by the crisis in regional and rural health will not hold a hearing in the Hunter.

• Employers held responsible for domestic violence when staff WFH

  8th Oct 2020

  In Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer v Hill [2020] NSWCA 54, it was found that employers can be held responsible for domestic violence when employees work from home.

  Emily Wittig from Stacks Collins Thompson discusses how this case demonstrates that employers must ensure that there are no safety risks involved with WFH, including the threat of domestic violence. This requires the implementation of informed and proactive policies that will protect workers, particularly relevant in current times with more employees WFH due to COVID-19.

• Lawyers welcome inquiry into rural and regional health to prevent further tragedy

  16th Sep 2020

  The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into rural and regional health announced yesterday is a positive step towards preventing further tragedies caused by failures in the system, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Call for NSW workers’ compensation scheme to be scrapped

  13th Aug 2020

  In light of concerns raised in the recent media investigation of the NSW workers' compensation scheme, Jeremy Roche compares NSW’s scheme with that of Queensland. He claims that NSW should copy the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme as it is more profitable, fair, efficient and sustainable and injured claimants, along with insurers and employers, are far better off.

• Sentencing, over-policing, STMP and crime reduction in NSW

  6th Aug 2020

  Mark Warren analyses statistics to determine the effectiveness of NSW sentencing reforms on prison population, police and crime reduction, and STMP technology.

• Fair compensation for work injuries ‘almost impossible’ if NSW scheme issues not resolved

  3rd Aug 2020

  Issues within the operation of the NSW Workers’ Compensation Scheme must be resolved otherwise it will become almost impossible for injured workers to receive fair compensation, according to the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Calls for NSW government to retain program helping keep people with cognitive disability out of prison

  2nd Jun 2020

  Lawyers are calling on the NSW Government to continue funding a program that helps divert alleged offenders with intellectual disabilities and brain injuries from prison.

• Figuring out who the ‘relevant insurer’ is under the Motor Accident Injuries Act in NSW

  30th Apr 2020

  With the introduction of the concept of a 'relevant insurer' in the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (NSW), a claimant must lodge one claim form with one insurer only when claiming statutory benefits. In this article, Belinda Cassidy, Special Counsel at Stacks Goudkamp, explores the difficulties that arise in working out who the 'relevant insurer' is in multi-vehicle accidents and their effect on the flow of statutory benefits to injured persons, particularly self-represented claimants. Belinda urges SIRA to publish arrangements it has approved between insurers for the determination of which insurer will accept a claim for statutory benefits and be the relevant insurer in respect of the claim.

• Workers comp financial problems must not be off-loaded onto injured workers: ALA

  23rd Feb 2020

  Injured workers should not be asked to bear the costs of medical treatment in an attempt to resolve financial issues within NSW’s workers compensation scheme, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• How the term ‘coward punch’ won a $100,000 defamation payout

  20th Feb 2020

  As Michael McHugh explains, language is a powerful tool – in society and in law.  ‘Coward punch’ describes a characteristic of the perpetrator of such an act: that in hitting a defenceless person in an unprovoked manner, the actor is not only committing a violent act but also, distinctly, is contemptibly lacking the courage to act in a proper or fair way. 

• Lawyers call for NSW strip search inquiry to be continued

  6th Feb 2020

  The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission’s (LECC) decision to cut short its inquiry into potentially illegal strip searches conducted by NSW police is very concerning, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Deputy State Coroner recommendations re personal drug use will save lives

  8th Nov 2019

  The number of people harmed or killed by drug use will be reduced if the Deputy State Coroner’s recommendations regarding personal drug use are implemented, and governments around Australia, not just NSW, must revamp drug laws to save lives says the Australian Lawyers Alliance.

• NSW prison population and the new sentencing laws – an update

  10th Oct 2019

  Mark Warren looks at the impact of the new sentencing regime in NSW, introduced in 2018, on the types of sentences being imposed in NSW. While all the data is not yet in, there appears to be a trend towards community-based sentencing, such as Intensive Correction Orders, and away from short-term prison sentences. 

• Lawyers call for free & accurate silicosis lung screening for all NSW stonemasons

  20th Sep 2019

  All stonemasons in NSW need access to accurate and free lung screening for silicosis, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) told the Dust Diseases Scheme review panel this week.

• Lawyers welcome NSW Bill to remove abortion from Crimes Act

  29th Jul 2019

  Moves to reform NSW’s outdated abortion laws are long overdue said the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA), giving its support to the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 to be tabled in Parliament this week. 

• The high cost of preventable farm accidents

  4th Jul 2019

  Justin Stack details some recent cases involving preventable farm accidents and emphasises the importance of farm owners and workers understanding their workplace safety rights and obligations.

• NSW notional estate provisions – helpful for some victims of financial elder abuse

  30th May 2019

  Danielle Little advocates for Queensland and other Australian states to follow New South Wales in allowing family provision applications in wills and estate matters.

• Lawyers support NSW Pro-Choice Alliance

  9th May 2019

  Abortion should be regulated like any other health procedure says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA), joining the NSW Pro-Choice Alliance’s call to remove abortion from the NSW Crimes Act.

• Long delays and complex bureaucracy limiting fair access to NDIS

  3rd Oct 2018

  Extensive delays, complex bureaucracy and difficulties surrounding the appeals and review process are making it impossible for people to have fair and equal access to the NDIS in NSW, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Why your non-dental cavities may be of interest to the authorities

  27th Sep 2018

  In the event that new legislation permitting searches for internally concealed drugs is passed in NSW, criminal lawyers and their clients will have to adjust to a changing legal landscape very quickly.

• Institutions will be held liable for abuse ‘on their watch’, thanks to new civil litigation laws

  26th Sep 2018

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has welcomed the new NSW civil litigation laws which will remove barriers that have prevented child sexual abuse survivors receiving justice.

• Revisions to NSW CTP scheme are failing injured motorists

  23rd Aug 2018

  Lawyers are urging the State Regulatory Insurance Authority (SIRA) to urgently publish data regarding complaints against insurance companies made by injured motorists since changes to the NSW CTP scheme were introduced.

• Workers’ compensation system improves with access to free legal help

  12th Jul 2018

  Justin Stack explores the proposed changes to the NSW workers' compensation scheme, changes that will improve access to legal representation for injured workers.

• Maternal rights must be recognised for the sake of children

  5th Jul 2018

  Anna Kerr and Darelle Duncan discuss the move in NSW towards an increase in permanent adoption from foster care placements, and the negative implications this will have for children's welfare and maternal rights.

• Filming an accident instead of helping – the law in NSW

  7th Jun 2018

  A discussion of the NSW laws surrounding filming, and whether we owe strangers involved in an accident a duty of care.

• Many NSW, VIC survivors of institutional child abuse blocked from just

  9th Mar 2018

  Unnecessarily strict eligibility requirements mean that many of the most vulnerable survivors of institutional child abuse in New South Wales and Victoria will miss out on accessing the Commonwealth’s Redress Scheme, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• How are costs assessed in your state?

  22nd Feb 2018

  A practical guide to assessing costs in NSW, Queensland and Victoria.

• How does the costs process work in your state?

  1st Feb 2018

  The costs jurisdiction in every state works differently.

• How are costs calculated in your state?

  23rd Nov 2017

  Dipal Prasad and Romaine Abraham evaluate the pros and cons of the ways costs are calculated in various states.

• CTP reform, Justice McClellan to headline NSW law conference

  14th Mar 2017

  Chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse The Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM, will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) annual NSW Conference being held at Darling Harbour this Friday.

• Liability to entrants to the family castle

  7th Dec 2016

  The Supreme Court of Queensland’s decision in Chandler v Silwood [2016] QSC 90, delivered by Holmes CJ and recently upheld on appeal, further highlights the duty of care owed by owner/occupiers of family homes towards those lawfully entering the property.

• CTP reform gives all power to insurers

  29th Jun 2016

  The NSW Government has announced the intention to radically reform the NSW Green Slip scheme to limit benefits, ignore those with moderate-severity injuries, and exclude lawyers from representing 90% of the injured

• ALA joins NSW CTP Taskforce

  7th Mar 2016

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance has been invited to participate in the establishment of a New South Wales Comprehensive Third Party (CTP) Taskforce, to investigate aberrant claim behaviour and an unusual increase in personal injury claims in the CTP Scheme.

• NSW Govt provides path to justice for child abuse victims

  17th Feb 2016

  The NSW government’s plan to remove limitation periods for redress for victims of institutional child abuse is a major step forward in the fight for justice for these victims, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• NSW and VIC govts applauded for supporting national redress scheme

  6th Nov 2015

  The New South Wales and Victorian governments are to be congratulated for being the first states to support a national compensation scheme for victims of institutional child sexual abuse, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• NSW govt applauded for plan to abolish child abuse limitation periods

  5th Nov 2015

  A commitment by the New South Wales government to abolish limitation periods for victims of child sexual abuse to seek compensation for personal injury is a welcome development in the fight to bring justice and closure for victims, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• New hope for justice for victims of institutional child abuse

  16th Oct 2015

  A Bill proposing to abolish limitation periods for victims of institutional child abuse to seek justice in New South Wales is a welcome development in the fight to bring closure for victims, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• NSW workers comp amendments retrospectively betray injured workers

  17th Sep 2015

  Injured workers in New South Wales have retrospectively been stripped of their right to claim lump-sum compensation despite assurances from the government that changes to the Workers Compensation Act would have no such outcome, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• Workers comp changes a step in the right direction, but more to do

  31st Aug 2015

  The NSW Government is to be commended for partially restoring workers compensation benefits which were heavily cut in 2012, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• NSW Judge Sidis to speak at annual law conference

  24th Mar 2015

  New South Wales the Hon. Judge Margaret Sidis, District Court of NSW (Ret), will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) annual New South Wales State Conference.

• Victims of crime compensation changes do not go far enough

  20th Mar 2015

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has welcomed the NSW Government’s partial backdown over unfair legislation which slashed compensation for victims of crime, but has said that recent and future victims will also be treated unfairly unless further changes are made to the compensation scheme.

• Urgent need for review of NSW workers compensation scheme

  6th Mar 2015

  A report which revealed thousands of injured employees who lost workers compensation benefits following changes to the scheme has highlighted the need for an urgent review of these amendments, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.

• Injured workers still burnt by compo changes in NSW

  12th Jun 2014

  The stark reality is that the 2012 amendments to the NSW Workers' Compensation Scheme have slashed injured workers' entitlements and their ability to make an early, safe and durable return to work, writes Anthony Scarcella, NSW Director of the Australian Lawyers Alliance.

• ALA submits on NSW workers compensation changes

  3rd Jun 2014

  This week, the Australian Lawyers Alliance NSW Committee provided our submission to the Centre for International Economics in its statutory review of the 2012 NSW workers compensation legislative amendments on behalf of the Office of Finance and Services.

• The money or the drip: lump sum vs no-fault benefits?

  21st Mar 2014

  No-fault compensation is all the rage, but at what cost to people’s rights? President-Elect Andrew Stone writes of its shortcomings.

• NSW Workers Compensation Scheme slashing injured workers rights - ALA

  31st Oct 2013

  Injured workers rights are being slashed by Premier Barry O’Farrell, which is the only reason he and the Finance Minister were able to announce a NSW Compensation Scheme surplus, yesterday, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• Vulnerable NSW children likely to suffer if victim comp law is passed

  24th May 2013

  Vulnerable children removed from their natural parents because of drugs, mental illness, violence and neglect, will be made even more vulnerable if new NSW compensation legislation is passed through parliament next week, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said.

• Bad legislation likely in NSW if push to gag CLCs goes ahead – ALA

  24th May 2013

  Badly formed laws, which have the potential to destroy many vulnerable people’s lives, are more likely to pass through NSW Parliament, if a push by the O’Farrell government to gag community legal centres from speaking out against injustice is allowed to go ahead.

• NSW time limits will wipe sexual assault victims rights to comp - ALA

  14th May 2013

  “The Anglican Survey of Child Sexual Abuse by clergy in the Brisbane area showed an average time from abuse to first complaint of 19.5 years,” Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Dr Andrew Morrison SC said today.

• NSW green slip changes must put injured first – ALA

  10th May 2013

  NSW Compulsory Third Party insurance changes, introduced into parliament this week, and said by the government to be ‘fairer and more affordable’, are actually harming the very people they are designed to protect, reducing benefits and payment periods, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• Changes to NSW victim comp laws to impact battered women – ALA

  10th May 2013

  Victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, some abused for many years and who have debilitating physical and psychological injuries, as well as dependent children, will face an uncertain future under a Bill before NSW Parliament, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• ALA lauds NZ in voting to acknowledge same sex marriage under law

  18th Apr 2013

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance today congratulated New Zealanders on their leadership and humanity in acknowledging same sex unions as legitimate marriages under law.

• Proposal to extend NSW prison terms could be unconstitutional

  21st Feb 2013

  The New South Wales government’s proposed continuing detention laws for serious sex offences or violent crimes are possibly unconstitutional and are likely to meet a High Court challenge, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• ALA concerned over Finance Minister's comments on green slip reform

  19th Feb 2013

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) has expressed serious concern about the latest media release from the Minister for Finance and Services today regarding green slip reform.

• Green slip reforms could increase costs and risks to family

  18th Feb 2013

  Proposed changes to the NSW green slip scheme, announced by the NSW Government on Sunday, could increase insurance costs for families and put them at risk of losing their homes if the main breadwinner is involved in a serious accident.

• Unfair bureaucracy weighing NSW CTP scheme down

  21st Jan 2013

  Endless and unfair bureaucratic processes foisted on vulnerable accident victims were the biggest factors in the NSW third party insurance scheme’s inefficiency, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• ALA calls for immediate examination of taser use in NSW

  14th Nov 2012

  The NSW Government should immediately examine the extent of use by police of Taser guns following damming findings given today by Coroner, Mary Jerram, into the death of Brazilian student, Laudisio Curti.

• Royal Commission powers needed for NSW Inquiry into child sex abuse

  12th Nov 2012

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance says a full, wide-ranging NSW Royal Commission into child sexual abuse in religious institutions is the only way of ensuring true justice is served for hundreds abused as children while in the care of religious institutions in the state.

• ALA renews calls for NSW Royal Commission into child sex abuse

  9th Nov 2012

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance has renewed its call for a NSW Royal Commission into child sex abuse in religious institutions following further evidence by a senior police officer on the extent of abuse and alleged cover up practices in the Newcastle Hunter region.

• NSW govt errors show more financial capability to help injured workers

  8th Nov 2012

  A manufactured deficit of $1billion on NSW Government’s books, which arose because of 37 accounting errors of more than $20 million each, looks like having indirectly played a role in winding back the financial entitlements of injured workers, Australian Lawyers Alliance NSW Committee member, Cliff Baker, writes.

• NSW Workers Comp decision shows new laws are retrospective

  24th Oct 2012

  Contrary to NSW Government assertions that recently introduced austere workers compensation laws would not be retrospective, a matter decided in the NSW Workers Compensation Commission yesterday, shows that, in fact, they will.

• A second rate legal review service adds insult to injury - ALA

  26th Sep 2012

  Injured workers should remain unexcited by the NSW Government’s announcement today of a new 'free legal review service' for some work injury disputes.

• NSW violent offender proposals fail fairness test - ALA

  24th Sep 2012

  Proposed laws announced by NSW Attorney-General, Greg Smith, today, enabling violent offenders to be kept in prison beyond the term imposed by a court or only released subject to strict limits on their freedom, failed the fairness test, the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• Proposed abolition of right to silence in NSW will allow police abuse

  19th Sep 2012

  The right of individuals to remain silent when being interrogated by police is a fundamental human right reflected in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in Canadian and US human rights laws and for New South Wales Attorney-General Greg Smith to give the community only 10 days to comment on his proposal to dismantle that right is appalling, said the Australian Lawyers Alliance today.

• Inconsistency in NSW is draining disability rights - ALA

  30th Aug 2012

  After much negotiation, NSW has announced it will provide an extra $35 million to support the rollout of a National Disability Insurance Scheme in the Hunter region to help 10,000 people with significant disability.

• 'Right to silence' crucial for democracy in NSW - ALA

  15th Aug 2012

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance is expressing disbelief that the O’Farrell Government would strike at the heart of democratic principles with an attack on every NSW citizen’s right to silence by amending such a law.

• NSW WorkCover changes - Expect mental health crisis says ALA

  4th Jul 2012

  “Traumatised families struggling to cope with horrific deaths of loved ones are being forced into financial hardship following the O’Farrell Government’s cuts to WorkCover compensation last month,” the Australian Lawyers Alliance said today.

• O'Farrell Government adds insult to injury with WorkCover changes

  21st Jun 2012

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance has expressed its disbelief that the O’Farrell Government has pushed new severe workers compensation measures through the NSW Legislative Council yesterday, just five days after it tabled its report.

• WorkCover mismanagement bodes ill for proposed insurance schemes

  5th Jun 2012

  The Australian Lawyers Alliance is concerned that the mismanagement, which has eroded NSW WorkCover making it financially unsustainable, may be replicated in other insurance models such as the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme and National Injury Insurance Scheme, unless greater transparency is adopted in government processes.

• Lawyers meet minister to discuss proposed WorkCover changes

  28th Mar 2012

  Representatives of the legal profession including, The Australian Lawyers Alliance, The NSW Bar Association and The NSW Law Society, met with Finance Minister, Greg Pearce, today, to discuss proposed changes to Workers Compensation and Motor Accident compensation schemes.