Done By Law

DBL: Terror trials: 9 December 2008

In September this year, we spoke to Fiona Todd, Criminal Lawyer at Rob Stary and Associates, who had first hand experience representing the accused in the recent terror trials and now in their appeal and re-trials. Fiona graphically described the conditions in which the accused were kept and her day to day experience of being involved in that trial.

She joins us again tonight to continue to the story of Melbourne’s first terror trial under John Howard’s anti-terror laws and to discuss the criminal appeal and re-trial process with us. Tune in to find out why this is not yesterday’s news but an issue that lies at the heart of the ‘balancing act’ between civil liberties, Government politics, criminal process and the justice system.

FEATURE: Should the Victorian Police be using tasers?

Done By Law speaks to Emma Ryan, a PHD student who specialises in the use of “tasers” around the world and by the Victorian Police. We examine exactly how a taser works, and its consequences for people incapacitated by the weapon. We find out which Police are using tasers around the country. We look at instances where tasers have amounted to lethal force and consider how tasers may impact on policing more generally.

DBL: A taxi driver’s licence: Unpicking the law and media coverage 2 december 2008

This week on Done By Law, we speak to expert Sophie Delaney, the Coordinator of the Mental Health Legal Centre about the media beat up related to a VCAT’s recent decision to grant a taxi driver his licence. This taxi driver had been found not guilty of a charge of murder by way of insanity. VCAT’s Deputy President weighed the circumstances up and approved the driver’s application for his licence. We examine the Victoria Government’s response that this calls for retrospective legislation to prevent VCAT exercising its discretion, which was mislabelled a loophole. Sophie discusses the issues surrounding supression orders in matters where people are found to be impaired. We also touch on the recent review of involuntary patient’s treatment in psychiatric hospitals.