Law & Crime

The inquiry into the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann raises questions about how privileged information can be used – and misinterpreted – in the courtroom.

Commissioner Catherine Holmes has written to the attorney-general to ask that her findings be delivered after the National Anti-Corruption Commission is operational, so she can make direct referrals.

Within days, the independent inquiry into the handling of Bruce Lehrmann’s trial for alleged rape last year has witnessed a backtrack from DPP Shane Drumgold on his concerns about a conspiracy to derail the prosecution.

A day after he filed a piece on climate protests for The Saturday Paper, Western Australian police raided Jesse Noakes’s office – part of a larger crackdown on critics of mining in the state.

Billions of dollars worth of Coalition spending is being scrutinised by a joint committee, with serious questions over the federal government’s legal grounding for funding projects.

In Western Australia, the pursuit of anti-Woodside climate protesters by the government and police echoes crackdowns in other states, where democratic rights are being trampled.

Fox’s defamation payout to Dominion Voting Systems is the largest in US media history, but amounts to a good deal for the Murdochs as they embark on talks to renew multibillion-dollar contracts with major cable providers. It comes as Lachlan Murdoch abandons his case against Australian website Crikey in an effort to move on from the 2020 election.

Before public hearings have begun, the inquiry into the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann is already at odds with ACT police over the release of subpoenaed records.

Dominion’s defamation trial against Fox News is set to begin, with Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch forced to take the stand as their media empire is sued for $US1.6 billion.

The agency responsible for advising the government on mental health is under investigation for alleged financial irregularities, dysfunction and workplace bullying.