Author’s Note
Some of the NSW laws described in this book have been amended since 1976 by subsequent legislation.
For example, the right to make a dock statement has recently been abolished, majority verdicts are now allowed in criminal trials, and records of interview are now videotaped by the police. Furthermore, the right to silence has been limited for serious offences, permitting unfavourable inferences to be drawn where the accused relies upon a fact not mentioned at the time of questioning.
Some things, however, have not yet seen the winds of change, such as the wearing of wigs and robes by barristers and judges, and the selection of judicial officers by the Attorney-General, not by an independent panel.
The author has run in the City to Surf fun runs for over two decades, and s
