Podcast · News

Law Report

by ABC Australia · English · News

From courtroom dramas to miscarriages of justice, to how the law affects you — and so much more. The Law Report is your accessible guide to the big legal stories unfolding in Australia and across the world.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 6 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026 · 29 minNew

Rogue OpenAI agents hacked into Medicare, is it a crime?

When OpenAI agents gained unauthorised access to the Medicare data portal, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was extremely concerned about the privacy breach. But are there any legal consequences? Could OpenAI be prosecuted for the hack? Could it be liable in a civil action? As this technology develops at breakneck speed, we discuss what guardrails are necessary to keep people and data safe in the age of AI and social media.

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

29 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Should smart glasses be banned in public places?

Concerns over privacy breaches linked to smart glasses are seeing authorities around Australia move to restrict where they can be used. Western Australia has announced a complete ban in public schools, which takes effect next month. Local councils are also taking action, with the City of Randwick in Sydney investigating whether it can prohibit smart glasses at public beaches. And the Federal Government is considering restriction in Commonwealth workplaces. But how effective is regulation at this level and do we need a different type of legal response? Also in this episode: if you don't pay…
22 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Is influencing someone to end their life a crime in Australia?

The Victorian government has pledged to implement a raft of reforms around domestic and family violence if it is re-elected in November. One promise is to introduce a new manslaughter offence in cases where a person is found to have taken their own life due to family violence. So, is it currently possible to convict a person of murder or manslaughter if they goad or encourage their partner to die by suicide? This has happened in Britain and the United States. And right now, Adelaide woman Jacinta Ann Drust is facing charges of murder and unlawful killing over the death of her boyfriend…
15 Sep 2026 · 29 min

The rapid rise of AI use in employment law disputes

A Sydney computing academic made headlines when he won a landmark case at the Fair Work Commission by relying entirely on artificial intelligence. The Law Report explores concerns over the rapid rise in the use of AI by self-represented litigants in employment law disputes.
14 Aug 2026

01 | Can a stranger inherit everything you own?

An elderly man goes into respite care and meets a nurse he's never known before. Within days she's bought him a will kit and had a document drawn up that leaves everything to her. He dies weeks later. Was that his clear settled wish, or something else entirely? Proving the difference is where it gets hard. And messy. When it comes to wills, how big an issue are fraud and undue influence? And what sorts of questions arise over how a will is made? Melbourne lawyer and elder financial abuse specialist James Dimond takes us inside these disputes, from a will signed by pressured witnesses to a…
14 Aug 2026

02 | The will written on a frozen fish packet

A frozen fish packet. An unsent text. A tractor fender. Courts have accepted all of these as valid wills. You want to write a will and make sure that your assets go to those who you think deserve your generosity. So, how can you make sure the will is binding? Does it need to be a formal document, printed out and signed with a pen? Or can a valid will be a word document, an email or text message? Can it be written on a frozen fish packet or the wall in your home? Wills expert Professor Pru Vines of UNSW walks through the strangest cases courts have accepted, including a British man who left…
14 Aug 2026

03 | He worked the farm for decades and got nothing

You work the family farm your whole life, then it's left to someone else. When drafting a will, the law says you don't have to be fair or equal in deciding who will receive your estate. So, after you pass away, can disgruntled family members or friends challenge your will in the courts? Conflicts over inheritance arise in many families but are particularly fraught and complex in farming families. Andrew Lawson of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law at the University of New England explains why the farm behaves almost like a third party in the family, and how the courts weigh need…
14 Aug 2026

04 | Asked to be an executor? What you're really signing up for

If a relative asks you to be the executor of their will, should you accept? What can go wrong and what do you need to know before you agree to take on the role? When disputes arise, executors are the ones left to clean up the mess, often navigating difficult family dynamics. And saying yes to being an executor can make you personally liable for someone else's debts. Sydney lawyer Donal Griffin explains what the job involves, from settling the deceased's tax and debts to the risk of being held personally liable if you distribute too soon and a claim lands months later. He also covers the…
11 Aug 2026 · 29 min

Alan Jones on trial

The criminal trial of former radio broadcaster Alan Jones has begun in the Local Court in Sydney.
4 Aug 2026 · 29 min

How should the law respond to cults and groups that coerce and control?

The Victorian parliament has published a groundbreaking inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. Among the inquiry's recommendations are world-first laws to criminalise coercive control behaviours by groups.
28 Jul 2026 · 29 min

The legacy of William Ah Ket, Australia's first lawyer of Chinese descent

It's 150 years since the birth of William Ah Ket, Australia's first lawyer of Chinese descent. He was involved in two significant legal victories that kicked back against laws that discriminated against Asian Australians in the early 20th century. The Law Report explores the life and career of this remarkable Australian, his achievements and how his legacy resonates today.
21 Jul 2026 · 29 min

Fifty years of 'no-fault' divorce in Australia

This year marks 50 years of the Family Law Act – legislation that revolutionised the way Australians divorce. Two former family law judges sit down with Damien Carrick to revisit a time before no-fault divorce, when unhappy spouses often employed private detectives to prove adultery.
14 Jul 2026 · 29 min

The dilemmas of parole board decision making

What is it like to have the responsibility of deciding if a violent offender should be released from prison and allowed back into the community?
7 Jul 2026 · 29 min

New employment law pathway to hear sexual harassment complaints

In a legal first, the Federal Court has handed down a sexual harassment decision under protections recently introduced to the Fair Work Act.
30 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Who should pay when prison guards or police officers cause injury?

If a child is injured by tear gas in a youth detention centre, are the authorities liable? And can a protester injured by police during a demonstration seek damages?
23 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Why a UK court upheld the Palestine Action terror ban

The Court of Appeal in London ruled that it was open to Britain's home secretary to designate the Palestine Action protest group as a terrorist organisation.
16 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Should a complainant's counselling records be used in a sexual assault trial?

The Law Report looks at the Victorian government plans to ensure health and counselling information is not used in court without the consent of victim survivors, who will also be given the choice to pre-record their evidence ahead of trial.
9 Jun 2026 · 29 min

Is there a place for AI in boardrooms and the courts?

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising all parts of the economy and our institutions — corporate boardrooms and the courts are not immune.
2 Jun 2026 · 29 min

A bushfire starts on your property and spreads to your neighbours - are you liable for their losses?

A court has found that a South Australian farmer was responsible for setting fire to a pile of vegetation that was left smouldering and reignited six months later, causing a devastating bushfire.
26 May 2026 · 29 min

Trump's war on journalists: libel or lawfare?

There's been a wave of defamation suits from within the Trump administration targeting the US news media. Is it legitimate litigation or lawfare?
19 May 2026 · 29 min

America's Erin Patterson? The Kouri Richins poisoning case

In a case that's transfixed the US, a woman who wrote a children's book about grief following her husband's death has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder.
12 May 2026 · 29 min

Does EMDR therapy taint a witness's recollection?

Imagine you are a victim of crime and need therapy to help deal with a traumatic memory. Would you go ahead if it meant that your case might not be prosecuted because the treatment could deem your evidence unreliable or inadmissible in court?
5 May 2026 · 29 min

What does an election look like when there are no financial ground rules?

There are no political donation laws in Victoria following a High Court decision that overturned legislation in place for nearly a decade.
28 Apr 2026 · 29 min

Scam victims want compensation as HSBC settles ASIC action

The Law Report speaks to victims who are calling for the banking giant to compensate them, and asks, how effective are Australian laws in dealing with sophisticated scams?
21 Apr 2026 · 29 min

Why was Ben Roberts-Smith granted bail on war crimes charges?

Australia's most decorated living soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has been granted bail after being charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. Why was he granted bail? And why did the judge find there were exceptional circumstances and bail did not impose any unacceptable risks?
14 Apr 2026 · 29 min

Euthanasia: How Australia's approach compares to other countries

In countries where voluntary assisted dying is allowed, there are very different legal frameworks. A high-profile case in Spain raises questions of whether the procedure should only be allowed if there is a terminal illness. Should the medical criteria also include mental distress? And how does mental illness impact on the idea of agency and choice?
7 Apr 2026 · 29 min

A cultural approach to reducing Indigenous reoffending

Indigenous incarceration rates are off the scale in Australia. For the last four years, the District Court of New South Wales has been trialling the Walama sentencing list, a program aimed at reducing recidivism.
31 Mar 2026 · 29 min

How accurate is facial recognition software?

The Law Report is asking some big picture questions about the pros and cons of facial recognition software use by police and retailers.
24 Mar 2026 · 29 min

High Court says government can't use ankle bracelets, curfews to monitor former immigration detainees

Should the Federal Government have powers to restrict the movement of former immigration detainees in the community?
17 Mar 2026 · 29 min

Are suppression orders out of control in Victoria?

How accurate is a recent report that claims Victorian courts issue more suppression orders than in any other Australian jurisdiction?

About Law Report

Law Report is a English news podcast from ABC Australia. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: ABC Australia
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 6 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id74849126

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