Category Archives: CCRC

Stonewalling 101: the legal system’s dirty little secret

Posted on March 29, 2023 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Under the constitutional doctrine of the separation of powers, parliaments make laws, the executive administers and enforces laws, and the judiciary adjudicates disputes about the law. The judiciary is thus insulated from outside oversight; that’s a good … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 4 Comments

Sue Neill-Fraser case for CCRC

Posted on December 16, 2022 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. Following two unsuccessful appeals against her conviction for the 2009 murder of her partner Bob Chappell and twice refused leave to appeal to the High Court, Sue Neill-Fraser’s controversial 12 year old conviction is an ideal matter … Continue reading →

Posted in Case 01 Sue Neill-Fraser, CCRC, General articles | 21 Comments

MoJ Seminar in Hobart, November 24, 2022

Posted on November 17, 2022 by andrew

Legal professionals, politicians, police and the public have a chance to hear how the criminal justice system sausage is made at a seminar “Lifting the Lid on Miscarriages of Justice.”

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 11 Comments

Is Australia fair dinkum about wrongful convictions?

Posted on March 13, 2022 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Wrongful convictions in Australia are either a) uniquely infrequent or b) largely left undisturbed, according to a briefing paper by Flinders University legal academic Dr Bob Moles, examining the effect of the recently introduced new right of … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 23 Comments

Separation of powers – the downside

Posted on February 26, 2022 by andrew

The ancient proverb, ‘Physician, heal thyself,’ can be repurposed to our criminal justice system, argues ANDREW L. URBAN. The separation of powers should not be a barrier to much needed reforms, but politicians are as cowardly on the subject as … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, Forensic evidence, General articles | 27 Comments

High Court decisions could & should trigger reforms

Posted on February 24, 2022 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban.  If successful, will upcoming High Court appeals prompt reform, including a much needed Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) – as they should? 

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 6 Comments

Canadian Commission delivers report to establish MoJ Commission

Posted on December 14, 2021 by andrew

Far reaching recommendations that go well beyond anything so far established in other countries are contained in the report by the Canadian Commission advising the government on the establishment of a Criminal Cases Review Commission, including that the new body … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 4 Comments

If our criminal justice system were an airline it would be grounded

Posted on December 3, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban The latest forensic disaster, in which one of Australia’s most respected forensic scientists, Kirsty Wright, laid out the serious errors and problems in the ­Queensland government-run laboratory’s handling of forensic evidence in the murder of Shandee Blackburn, … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 6 Comments

Justice may depend on where you live

Posted on August 4, 2021 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban. If you’ve been wrongfully convicted, just hope you’re living in a jurisdiction with well developed correcting functions in the legal system. Differing legal mechanisms in different places produce uneven outcomes. And while Australia has yet to even … Continue reading →

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 6 Comments

Fool proofing the Attorney General

Posted on July 23, 2021 by andrew

The Attorney General’s Transparency Branch has a fool proof tactic, straight out of Yes, Minister, to shut down anything it doesn’t want to address. 

Posted in CCRC, General articles | 14 Comments