Past Inquiries

11.09.2020

Review of Judicial Impartiality

The Government has committed to implementing all three recommendations made to it in Without Fear or Favour: Judicial Impartiality and the Law on Bias (ALRC Report 138) View the Government response >> Any person before a court has the fundamental right to a hearing by a judge who is independent and impartial. In Australia, judicial

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08.05.2019

Where next for law reform?

During this project, we asked Australians: where next for law reform? What areas of law should be the subject of an ALRC Inquiry?  On Monday 2 December 2019, the ALRC released its report The Future of Law Reform: A Suggested Program of Work 2020-25. The report follows 8 months of national consultations. Through an online survey, individuals

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10.04.2019

Review into the Framework of Religious Exemptions in Anti-discrimination Legislation

On 3 November 2022, the Attorney-General withdrew the terms of reference for this Inquiry. Accordingly, this Inquiry is now closed and will not be completed. On 10 April 2019, the Attorney-General issued Terms of Reference requesting the ALRC to conduct an Inquiry into the Framework of Religious Exemptions in Anti discrimination Legislation. The Terms of Reference were

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10.04.2019

Review into Australia’s corporate criminal responsibility regime

On 10 April 2019, the Hon Christian Porter, Attorney-General of Australia, provided Terms of Reference to the ALRC for an inquiry into Australia’s corporate criminal responsibility regime. The ALRC released a Discussion Paper and called for submissions on 15 November 2019. Submissions closed on 31 January 2020. The report, Corporate Criminal Responsibility (Report 136, 2020)

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15.12.2017

Litigation Funding Inquiry

On 11 December 2017, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Attorney-General of Australia, provided Terms of Reference to the ALRC for an inquiry into class action proceedings and third party litigation funders. A Discussion Paper was released in June 2018. Report 134 was delivered to the Attorney-General on the 21 December, 2018 and tabled in

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27.09.2017

Review of the family law system

On 9 May 2017 the Turnbull Government announced its intention to direct the ALRC to conduct the first comprehensive review into the family law system since the commencement of the Family Law Act in 1976, with a view to making necessary reforms to ensure the family law system meets the contemporary needs of families and effectively addresses family

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01.12.2016

Incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, announced on 27 October 2016 the Government’s intention to ask the Australian Law Reform Commission to examine the factors leading to the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our prisons, and consider law reform to ameliorate this ‘national tragedy’.The Attorney-General’s Department released Draft Terms of Reference for public consultation

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23.02.2016

Elder abuse

The Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC announced an Inquiry for the ALRC on ‘Protecting the Rights of Older Australians from Abuse’ on 24 February 2016.The ALRC released an Issues Paper on 15 June 2016 and called for submissions from the public. Submissions closed on 18 August 2016.The ALRC released a Discussion Paper in December 2016 with proposals for

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08.03.2014

Freedoms Inquiry

The ALRC was asked to identify provisions in Commonwealth legislation that unreasonably encroach upon traditional rights, freedoms and privileges.

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12.06.2013

Serious Invasions of Privacy

This inquiry considered both prevention and remedies for serious invasions of privacy and included a detailed legal design of a tort for serious invasions of privacy.

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