Episode · Law Report
Why was Ben Roberts-Smith granted bail on war crimes charges?
21 Apr 2026 · 29 min
Episode · Law Report
21 Apr 2026 · 29 min
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?
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.
12 May 2026 · 29 min
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
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
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?
14 Apr 2026 · 29 min
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
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
The Law Report is asking some big picture questions about the pros and cons of facial recognition software use by police and retailers.
6 Oct 2026 · 29 min
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.
29 Sep 2026 · 29 min
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
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
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.