Articles

New Anti-Hate Laws have come into effect after both houses of parliament passed legislation last week. The Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2025 creates new criminal offences and increases maximum penalties for a number of existing offences. It also introduces mandatory minimum sentences for hate crimes. This reflects a departure from the Labour party’s usual […]

In the year between October 2023 and September 2024, New South Wales recorded a staggering 93,500 crimes against individuals. Alarmingly, half (51.3%) of these incidents occurred under the cover of darkness, between 6 PM and 6 AM. These chilling statistics underscore the importance of nighttime personal safety.  In this research, we analysed data from the […]

The offence of knowingly displaying Nazi symbol in public without a reasonable excuse is contained in Section 93ZA of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). Astor Legal are the only firm in Australia who have successfully defended against these charges. Contact us online or call us on (02) 7804 2823 if you have been charged with a […]

In Australia, the right to remain silent is an important legal safeguard, though it differs from the well-known Miranda Rights in the United States. Common law and legislation in Australia set out that refusing to answer police questions generally cannot be used against you. However, there are some exceptions in serious criminal matters. If police […]

One of the most common issues people who are charged by police have is the cost of a criminal lawyer. This is not an easy question to answer as there are numerous factors involved in providing an estimate. These include the complexity of the case, whether it is a fixed fee or non-fixed fee basis […]

NSW parliament has introduced sweeping new domestic violence bail laws aimed at making it more difficult for accused persons to be released after being charged. The government has hailed the changes as a response to the outpouring of community sentiment to be tougher on domestic violence offences after a spate of publicised domestic violence incidents. […]