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(2543)

The Algorithm, Part 1: How to stop Spotify killing your music taste

The Algorithm, Part 1: How to stop Spotify killing your music taste

Headlines: Australia’s road toll hits 12-year high, Aussies pay more for dental care than most OECD countries, Donald Trump to sign order banning trans people from US Military and New York gets in on ...

27 Jan 202529min

Why do we dream?

Why do we dream?

Did you have a dream last night? Do you remember it? Dreams hold a lot of significance throughout history – but how much should we be reading into them, and is there any science to back up the theorie...

27 Jan 202518min

What it takes to become an Australian citizen on Australia Day

What it takes to become an Australian citizen on Australia Day

Headlines: Italian Jannik Sinner wins the Australian Open, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks on Holocaust Remembrance Day and high temperatures predicted across the country today. Deep Dive: As w...

26 Jan 202519min

This Australia Day, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is thinking about the kids

This Australia Day, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is thinking about the kids

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, is a proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman who’s a survivor of out-of-home care and now a practising lawyer fighting for the freedom of others. She’s the first ACT Commission...

24 Jan 202546min

How Prince Harry made the Murdoch media empire say sorry

How Prince Harry made the Murdoch media empire say sorry

Sometimes sorry is the hardest, and in this case, most expensive word. This week, Prince Harry achieved something many thought impossible – receiving a “full apology” from Rupert Murdoch’s News Group ...

24 Jan 202517min

$2 a litre: Who’s f*cking with our petrol prices?

$2 a litre: Who’s f*cking with our petrol prices?

Headlines: Albo to promise $10,000 cash bonus for apprentices, Southport attacker jailed for 52 years over murder of three girls, Splendour in the Grass cancelled for a second straight year and Aryna ...

23 Jan 202524min

Why you're waiting longer for shorter TV shows

Why you're waiting longer for shorter TV shows

Long gone are the glory days of television when we’d be handed 20+ episode seasons of our favourite shows, enough to keep us going and satiated for the year before a new run of episodes dropped. Now, ...

23 Jan 202517min

We're tuning out the environment. Here’s why that’s dangerous

We're tuning out the environment. Here’s why that’s dangerous

Headlines: Dutton gains ‘significant lead’ over Albanese as preferred PM, Trump threatens Putin with tariffs and demands apology from 'nasty’ bishop, cost of a Melbourne to Sydney flight has jumped si...

22 Jan 202523min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
i-retten
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
frokostshowet-pa-p5
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk