Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and premature mortality, responsible for more death and drug-related hospitalisations than alcohol and illicit drugs combined. Approximately 21 per cent of male adults and 18 per cent of female adults in Australia are daily smokers. Talina Drabsch examines some of the ways governments have sought to control...

Rowena Johns examines current laws, recent developments, and planned reforms in New South Wales relating to driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol or drugs. This briefing paper also examines some developments in interstate jurisdictions.

Governments face major challenges when addressing the issue of workplace health and safety, and there is sharply divided opinion over the appropriate legislative response to industrial deaths and accidents. Any policy has to consider the effects upon industry and investment as well as the effect upon the workforce. Kim Haines, Thomas John and Malcolm Park...

Morag Donaldson explains the welfare jurisdiction of the Family Court by highlighting its historic roots and noting some of the cases in which it has been applied.

Family violence and sexual assault are reported to be at crisis levels in many Indigenous communities. In response to calls from Indigenous people for change, a number of state and territory governments have established Task Forces, drafted policy documents, and held inquiries into the nature and extent of the violence. In this Briefing Paper Monique...