More law and order on the run

Authors

Julia Quilter, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

89485

Publication Details

Quilter, J. (2014). More law and order on the run. Alternative Law Journal , 39 (1), 50-51.

Abstract

After the July 2012 death of Thomas Kelly from a one-punch assault in Kings Cross, the NSW government engaged in a nuanced and multi-faceted response to alcohol-fuelled violence in Sydney’s major entertainment precinct. Unfortunately, the government’s latest response — the Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Assault and Intoxication) Act 2014 (NSW) (‘the Act’) — is deserving of no such praise. Not only is the argument that a discrete ‘one punch’ law is necessary in NSW without foundation, but the legislation has been drafted in a legally complex and confusing way that is likely to result in operational difficulty.