Teen car chase through mall + Character reference ban for sex offenders
The Briefing29 Sep 2025

Teen car chase through mall + Character reference ban for sex offenders

Calls are mounting to abolish the use of character references in court sentencing, following Queensland’s recent legislation restricting their use in cases involving convicted sex offenders.

Character references have long played a controversial role in high-profile cases, including when former Prime Minister John Howard gave one to Cardinal George Pell, describing him as ‘a person of both high intelligence and exemplary character’. More recently in the case of paedophile Ashley Paul Griffith who has pleaded guilty to over 300 charges, also benefited from character references.

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith, is joined by victim-survivor Josh Byrnes, the ACT representative from Your Reference Ain’t Relevant campaign, to explain how character evidence works in court and why advocates want them abolished.

Afternoon headlines: Teens arrested in Melbourne CBD after a police pursuit, Opposition leader Sussan Ley calls for independent inquiry into the 'entire triple-zero ecosystem' and Bad Bunny to headline 2026 Super Bowl half-time show

Further listening: How to stop teen machete murders

Follow The Briefing:
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast
Facebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(2549)

Can Australia afford free university?

Can Australia afford free university?

Headlines: Trump sweeps all battleground states, EV sales drop across Australia and a massive weekend in Aussie sport. Deep Dive: Student debt reforms are leading the Albanese government's 2025 electi...

10 Nov 202425min

Mel Buttle is the internet's favourite mum

Mel Buttle is the internet's favourite mum

Mel Buttle is one of Australia’s favourite comedians and self-declared number one fan of the Matildas. You might recognise her as the creator behind Australia's favourite online mum character 'Lyn' or...

8 Nov 202439min

Why Consent Can't Wait: Jude Bolton

Why Consent Can't Wait: Jude Bolton

Most Australians agree that consent is key to healthy sexual experiences. But what does consent mean? What does it look like in action? Before we can talk to our kids about consent, we need to talk to...

8 Nov 202412min

What a survivor of sexual violence thinks of Bonnie Blue

What a survivor of sexual violence thinks of Bonnie Blue

Bonnie Blue has been making nation headlines around her plan to invite quote un quote “barley legal” young men attending schoolies on the gold coast to have sex and film it for content on her wildly p...

7 Nov 202416min

‘I'm not a predator’: OnlyFans' Bonnie Blue defends Schoolies sex plan

‘I'm not a predator’: OnlyFans' Bonnie Blue defends Schoolies sex plan

Headlines: Joe Biden’s first address since Trump win, Optus fined $12 million for outage, National Cabinet meeting today to consider social media ban and Australia’s biggest frog count gets underway! ...

7 Nov 202424min

Malcolm Turnbull explains what Trump 2.0 means for Australia

Malcolm Turnbull explains what Trump 2.0 means for Australia

What does Donald Trump returning to the White House mean for Australia? One man with a deep insight into this question is former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who Trump in during his fir...

7 Nov 202416min

Donald Trump has won. What now?

Donald Trump has won. What now?

Donald Trump is the 47th President of the United States. While it will take days to finalise the vote count, the Republican nominee currently holds 292 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’ 224. He is als...

6 Nov 202414min

Massive turnout, bomb threats, too close to call: the US votes

Massive turnout, bomb threats, too close to call: the US votes

The results have been streaming in as voters deliver their verdict on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as they battle to become the next president of the United States. Trump and Harris have been doing...

6 Nov 202419min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
stopp-verden
i-retten
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
rss-ness
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
grasoner-den-nye-kalde-krigen