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Richard Pusey’s conduct in the Eastern Freeway accident sparked public outrage. This led to the Victorian Parliament legislating the offence of grossly offensive public conduct. By analysing parliamentary rhetoric, existing legal alternatives and the provision's inherently vague drafting, this article argues how Parliament’s actions exemplify reactive law-making, driven by political exploitation, rather than principled legal reform. While this offence modernises legislation,

“Without further ado, I would like to invite up the first affirmative speaker to begin this debate.” The first speaker stands up, gathers their papers, and walks over to the podium. There are about a dozen or so pairs of eyes, but that is not what is making them nervous. The motion? That we prefer a world where retro-futuristic technology was the status quo. With a final sip of water, they start the timer and begin their speech. This is just a glimpse into the world of compet

Our generation's desire for public accountability has given rise to something unprecedented. “Cancel culture” has created a parallel justice system run by social media. This of course comes with a myriad of consequences: No presumption of innocence, no rules of evidence and no right to reply. In this piece I explore this growing tension between cancel culture and the presumption of innocence, asking whether this accountability obsession has gone too far, compromising the ver