Australia Commonwealth Constitution indictment jury trial classification

Australia's constitutional jury-trial guarantee has a major loophole

Australia's Constitution requires jury trials for Commonwealth offences prosecuted on indictment. But Parliament has substantial influence over which offences are prosecuted that way. As a result, the constitutional protection is narrower than it first appears. The wording creates a right whose practical reach depends partly on legislative choices.

Official COVID case counts missed millions of infections

A confirmed COVID-19 case required a positive test, but many infected people were never tested. Studies that randomly tested populations repeatedly found far more infections than official case totals suggested. The gap was especially large early in the pandemic, when tests were scarce and people with mild symptoms often went undetected.

Plague returned to Europe for centuries

The Black Death killed an estimated 25 million people, about a third of Europe’s population at the time. Plague is thought to have returned roughly every generation, with varying severity, until the 18th century.

Like this? There’s a whole feed of it. Replace empty scrolling with things worth knowing.

Download Hence for free

Australia Commonwealth Constitution indictment jury trial classification

Australia's constitutional jury-trial guarantee has a major loophole

Keep exploring