This House Standing Committee report investigates the lack of harmonisation within Australia’s legal system, and between the legal systems of Australia and New Zealand, with particular reference to differences that have an impact on trade and commerce.

Between 1984 and 2004 the proportion of remanded prisoners rose from 12 to 20 percent of the total prisoner population, and the rate of prisoners remanded into custody tripled. In an attempt to identify the factors associated with high and low remand rates the researchers undertook a detailed study of Victoria (which has comparatively low...

The issue of custodial remand in Australia remains acute. More than a fifth of Australian prisoners are unsentenced ('remandees') at any one time. Depending on the jurisdiction, remandee numbers have increased by between 50% and 270% since 1995. However, Australian States and Territories remand people in custody at significantly differing rates. This study reports qualitative...

In 2001, the Commission was asked to consider whether the criminal justice system was sufficiently responsive to the needs of complainants in sexual offence cases and to recommend changes if necessary. This final report contains 202 recommendations on all aspects of the criminal justice process.

The use of electronic monitoring has the potential to improve the cost-effectiveness of correctional programs, provide enhanced opportunities for offender rehabilitation and extend the range of sentences available to the courts. However, despite the fact that electronic monitoring has been in use for at least two decades, there are many legal, ethical and practical issues...