Highly sensitive Australian court data accessed by foreign entity based in India – ABC News

Highly sensitive Australian court files have been accessed offshore in breach of the privacy act and Commonwealth contractual obligations, an ABC investigation has revealed, raising concerns of a national security risk.

Workers raised concerns with managers at VIQ Solutions — the company responsible for the data breach — months ago and were told they were “not relevant” and were directed to stop spreading “rumours” about the issue.

The transcription of court cases in most jurisdictions in Australia is done by VIQ Solutions, which is based in Canada and employs transcribers in Australia.

An ABC investigation found VIQ Solutions subcontracted work to e24 Technologies — a company based in Chennai, India that specialises in automated voice-to-text technology — in breach of its Commonwealth contract, and without notifying the courts.

Internal VIQ documents, sighted by the ABC, showed thousands of court files were accessed by staff at e24 Technologies with Indian email addresses.

VIQ staff based in Australia told the ABC that e24 staff were accessing court files outside of Australian business hours and completing transcripts at a speed that was not possible for a human. They claimed the transcripts completed by e24 contained significant errors, which then fell to VIQ staff to correct.

“Incredibly sensitive evidence from organisations like ASIO, the Australian Federal Police, is given in private court because it could be addressing links to international criminal organisations, potential foreign interference in the country,” he said.

He said this information in the wrong hands could do “incredible damage”.

The ABC understands that since July last year, at least a dozen senior VIQ staff were either made redundant or quit, along with staff who belonged to the Quality and Assurance team.

Senator Shoebridge said the revelations that Australian court data had been accessed offshore without the knowledge of the court were grounds for an independent audit and the urgent termination of the contract with VIQ.

“I have had multiple whistleblowers, not one, not two, multiple whistleblowers contacting my office and each time we raise this in public, we get more whistleblowers coming forward and showing very credible evidence.

Source: Highly sensitive Australian court data accessed by foreign entity based in India – ABC News

Greens’ botched expulsion of co-founder Drew Hutton costs party $165,000 | The Australian

The botched expulsion of Australian Greens co-founder Drew Hutton cost the party’s Queensland division at least $165,000 and will compel it to “train” delegates in the principles of natural justice, leaked records show.

The confidential minutes of a Queensland Greens’ management committee meeting confirm that Mr Hutton was paid $50,000 plus GST to settle the legal action he had launched to overturn the termination of his life membership.

The documents detail the soaring cost of the saga to the Greens, kicked off when the party went after the 79-year-old stalwart for criticising its pro-transgender rights policies. Mr Hutton established the Queensland branch in 1991 and set up the Australian Greens a year later with his friend and foundational leader, Bob Brown.

Last July, the state constitution and arbitration committee (CAC) voted to expel him for platforming transphobic commentary on his Facebook page, a claim Mr Hutton rejected. He insisted it was an exercise in free speech.

But after he took action in the Queensland Supreme Court, the Greens’ own lawyers concluded he had been denied natural justice by the party. In an abject climbdown, the state division restored Mr Hutton’s life membership and settled.

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Lawyers warn erroneous and costly family court transcripts are impeding justice, prompting calls for change – ABC News (from 28 Nov 2025)

Obtaining court transcripts can cost thousands of dollars for a single day of proceedings, but the documents can contain errors, missing text, and even wrong attribution, frustrating legal practitioners who say the flaws impede justice.

Justice is being obstructed by inaccurate court transcripts — including some where potentially prejudicial comments by judges were missing, according to a slew of legal practitioners interviewed by the ABC. 

The prohibitive cost of obtaining transcripts also meant some appeals were not even being considered, lawyers warned.

There are now calls for change, including the cancellation of a lucrative contract with the foreign company that provides the transcripts, and for the raw audio files to be provided to litigants as a matter of course.

The ABC spoke to nine legal practitioners for this story but four declined to go on the record — some saying they feared that speaking out could lead to reprisals from judges in ongoing or subsequent court cases.

Four practitioners said erroneous transcripts in cases they had worked on affected how their cases progressed.

Some said inappropriate or biased comments from the judge were missing from the transcript, making it impossible to lodge an appeal on those grounds.

If the contents of a transcript are disputed, a request can be made to review it against the audio file, but recordings “are only available in exceptional circumstances”, according to the Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFC) website.

The court uses a transcription company called VIQ Solutions — a prominent agency that provides services to hundreds of bodies around the world including media outlets, law enforcement, government agencies and insurance companies, according to its website.

VIQ Solutions also provides transcripts for the family court in the United Kingdom, where similar concerns have been raised regarding the quality and accuracy of transcripts.

UK family law barrister Charlotte Proudman said in order for justice to be done, and to address inaccuracies, courts must allow access to audio files of proceedings — not just written transcripts.

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) highlighted the call for access to audio files as part of their 2021 report into judicial impartiality.

Legal practitioners told the ABC the process of seeking a review of the transcript against the audio file was too complicated, too costly for litigants, and requests to access the audio files were rarely granted.

VIQ Solutions Australia Pty Ltd is a private subsidiary of VIQ Solutions, which is a public company based in Ontario. The parent company made a gross profit of $US19.2 million in 2024.

A transcript for a single day of family court proceedings can set a parent back anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on the length of proceedings and deadline for turnaround.

Mr Shoebridge said the optics of a foreign entity making profits from Australian family court proceedings was concerning.

“When you privatise essential public services like transcriptions in courts you create a lot of awkward incentives because obviously if this is a company that has a contract with the courts they don’t want to get the courts offside.”

A spokesperson for the family court said: “All equipment used to record hearings is owned and managed by VIQ Solutions, and no court staff member has access to the equipment, nor do staff members or judicial officers directly edit or alter transcripts”.

Upon further questioning, the spokesperson later clarified that “court staff can correct typographical errors” in transcripts.

However, in documents obtained by the ABC under Freedom of Information (FOI) it was clear transcripts could be edited and altered at the discretion of judicial officers.

The court’s “Transcript Style Guide” states “a presiding judicial officer may direct that scandalous or otherwise objectionable remarks in a proceeding not be recorded in the transcript”.

The document also states that editing can occur to make the transcripts more “readable” including the removal of “matters of no substance to the case” as well as “administrative” matters.

The documents released to the ABC under FOI also revealed that transcripts were sent to the court in an editable word format and that audio files were accessible by judges, registrars, judges associates and “other authorised staff”.

The court can also request VIQ Solutions staff “reproduce a transcript that does not accurately reflect the underlying recording”.

Each month VIQ must provide the court with a quality report detailing any complaints made about the transcription service or audio recordings, the number of errors in transcripts and any instances where a non-authorised person has listened to a recording, according to the Statement of Requirements.

However, a court spokesperson told the ABC they could not provide any data about complaints associated with transcripts.

VIQ Solutions declined to comment.Insider alleges key players in family court case ignored her concerns about possible child abuse

The attorney general’s department said any issues were a matter for the courts.

Source: Lawyers warn erroneous and costly family court transcripts are impeding justice, prompting calls for change – ABC News

The High Court has rewarded Kathleen Stock’s persecutors – spiked

The High Court has just dealt a serious blow to the ability of academics and students in English universities to express themselves freely. In a judgment handed down on Wednesday, the court upheld Sussex University’s appeal against the Office for Students (OfS) – the regulator tasked with upholding free speech – and declared a fine imposed on the university following its failure to protect gender-critical philosopher Kathleen Stock to be unlawful.

The result is that, while the statutory duties to protect academic freedom and freedom of speech remain in place, an enormous grey area has opened up that allows speech to be restricted on campus.

Let’s hope the Office for Students appeals. If this ruling stands and confines the regulator to universities’ formal ‘governing documents’, while pushing disputes over lawful speech into case-by-case balancing against claims of ‘harm’, it will have no teeth. All we will be left with is the Office for… well, no one at all.

Source: The High Court has rewarded Kathleen Stock’s persecutors – spiked

‘Father Ted’ creator Linehan cleared on appeal of criminal damage of trans woman’s phone | MSN

LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) – Graham Linehan, the Irish co-creator of hit British TV comedy show “Father Ted”, was on Friday cleared on appeal of criminal damage of a trans woman’s mobile phone, British media reported. Linehan, 57, a vocal critic of transgender activism in recent years, has found himself at the centre of a heated culture war debate in Britain on the issue.

Last year, Linehan was found guilty of causing criminal damage following an incident at a conference in October 2024 involving then 17-year-old trans woman Sophia Brooks, but he was cleared of harassing her.

Linehan appealed against his criminal damage conviction at London’s Southwark Crown Court and was found not guilty on Friday, with Sky News reporting that a judge ruled they could not be sure the damage to Brooks’ phone was caused by Linehan.

Source: ‘Father Ted’ creator Linehan cleared on appeal of criminal damage of trans woman’s phone

Former neurologist Jeffery Sloka acquitted on all count of sexual assault | CTV News Now | Canada

A former neurologist accused of sexually assaulting 48 of his female patients has been acquitted.

Justice Craig Parry ruled that he is satisfied there was a valid medical reason for examinations Jeffrey Sloka performed at his Kitchener clinic.

The verdict comes nine years after the first complaints were made about the doctor to Ontario’s regulatory body, and following a four-and-a-half year criminal trial.

The complainants in the case were all female patients who were seen at Sloka’s urgent neurology clinic between 2010 and 2017.

In court, they described receiving vaginal exams, breast exams or exams of other intimate areas during appointments for neurological concerns.

The criminal trial began in September 2021. The Crown made the case that Sloka used medical examination as a ruse to gain access to the bodies of female patients for sexual purposes.

The defense said Sloka had a valid medical justification for his investigations, examinations and treatments.

After listening to more than 160 days of evidence, and going through thousands of pages of written submissions from the Crown and defense, as well as verbal arguments in court, Justice Craig Parry reached his verdict. The written decision was 1,002 pages long.

Parry largely rejected the expert testimony of Dr. Vera Bril, who told court in her opinion, the exams Sloka did aren’t typically done by neurologists.

As for the women who testified, Parry said he found their evidence unreliable.

After the judge announced he had acquitted Sloka on all counts, some of the women in the courtroom began crying. A number got up and walked out. One called out “shameful, shameful” as she left.

Source: Former neurologist Jeffery Sloka acquitted on all count of sexual assault

Intimate partner violence is a hidden contributor to women’s suicide | The Conversation

Each week in Australia, on average, an estimated 15 women die by suicide. Evidence from coronial reviews suggests intimate partner and family violence may be contributing factors in 28–56% of suicides among women – or four to eight per week.

A federal parliamentary inquiry is currently investigating the links between domestic, family violence and sexual violence and suicide.

More than 200 written submissions and a series of public hearings have exposed deep frustration with systems that obscure violence, re-traumatise victim-survivors and allow preventable deaths to continue.

International research shows intimate partner violence is one of the strongest social determinants of suicidal thoughts in women. It increases women’s risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts two- to five-fold.

Women with experiences of intimate partner violence described being dismissed, blamed for the abuse, or redirected into mental health pathways during contact rather than having the violence recognised by health, policing and legal services.

In Australia, 27% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15.

Yet most women never seek formal help. Only around 20% of women who experience intimate partner violence report it to police. Fewer than 25% access health services.

One study found nearly 60% of women presenting to emergency departments with suicidal thoughts or actions had experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their life. Yet hospital staff rarely ask about abuse.

The invisibility of violence becomes even more pronounced in the context of technology-facilitated and financial abuse. Abusive partners now use technology to track, control and harass women in ways that are difficult to detect and even harder for the justice system to address.

Perpetrators have used tax systems to lodge false returns, incur debts and withhold critical financial information, inflicting long-term economic harm.

Perpetrators have also weaponised the child support system to continue financial abuse after separation.

Male violence is driving some women’s suicide, and our systems are compounding the risk. Until we confront both harms, these deaths will continue.

Source: Intimate partner violence is a hidden contributor to women’s suicide

12-Year-Old French Girl Collapses After Judge Releases Men Arrested For Gang Raping Her In Airbnb | ZeroHedge

Last week, the two men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested for the rape involving the 12-year-old, as well as a 16-year-old girl who had allegedly led the younger victim to the apartment. After reportedly exchanging messages with the two young men via Snapchat, the teen encouraged her younger friend to come with her to the Airbnb. Alcohol and drugs were allegedly consumed, with an excessive amount of hard liquor given to the 12-year-old.

Falling unconscious, the younger victim recounted waking up “lying on a bed covered in blood,” before realizing what had happened, recounts Lyon Mag. It was when she turned her phone back on that her mother was able to geolocate her, allowing the police to intervene. She is said to have run away from her home in Givors before the incident.

However, now the perpetrators are free. The family of the 12-year-old says her safety and innocence were tossed aside from the get-go, with police allegedly not even asking her to file a complaint initially.

Unfortunately, the 16-year-old girl and the accused men all stated that the girl was consenting. “Everyone agrees that she was consenting, or even that she was provoking, even though she is 12 years old and was completely drunk to the point of losing consciousness,” he said, adding that at the hearing, the girl was in an advanced state of shock.

“The lack of coercive measures concerning the suspects […] is incomprehensible,” stated Metaxas, the lawyer representing the 12-year-old, as quoted by LyonMag. He added that the court has failed to demand any judicial supervision or even a restraining order on the alleged perpetrators.  

“They can, if they wish, contact and visit the young girl whenever they want,”  he warns.  “Therefore, there is total incomprehension, not to mention anger, on the part of the family.”

Source: 12-Year-Old French Girl Collapses After Judge Releases Men Arrested For Gang Raping Her In Airbnb | ZeroHedge

MEDIA RELEASE: Only Eight Councils Provide Female-Only Facilities, New National Data Reveals | Speak up for Women | NZ

A nationwide review of council-owned swimming pool facilities has revealed that only a small number of Councils in New Zealand are clearly providing female-only spaces for women and girls.

The Council Score Sheet, based on responses from City and District Councils across the country, shows a consistent and concerning pattern.

Only eight councils clearly provide female-only changing and showering facilities.

Nearly 9 out of 10 either do not—or cannot clearly say that they do.

“If a space is labelled female, it should mean female,” said Suzanne Levy, spokeswoman for Speak Up for Women.“What we’ve found instead is widespread confusion, inconsistency, and in many cases, the quiet removal of female-only spaces.”

Across the country, many Councils continue to label facilities as “female” while operating policies that allow access based on gender identity.

In practice, this means that many spaces described as female are not female-only.

Other Councils were unable to clearly explain their policies at all, relying on vague language such as “case-by-case” decisions or providing no clear rules.

“Women and girls should be able to rely on clear signage and straightforward rules,” Levy said.“Right now, in many places, they can’t.”

“Councils are treating guidance as if it were law,” Levy said.“This is an untested legal interpretation being applied as public policy.”

“This is about transparency and accountability,” Levy said.“If councils are not providing female-only spaces, they should at least be honest about it.”

Source: MEDIA RELEASE: Only Eight Councils Provide Female-Only Facilities, New National Data Reveals

Support services nationwide ‘buckling under demand’ during Sexual Assault Awareness Month – ABC News

A national discussion about sexual violence is long overdue, according to Nicole Lambert, chair of the National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence (NASASV).

An estimated 89,400 people aged 18 and over experienced sexual assault across Australia in 2024-2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In its last Personal Safety Survey in 2022, the ABS estimated 2.8 million people aged 18 and older had experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.

The 2023 Child Maltreatment Study estimated about 28.5 per cent of Australians had experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18.

According to the ABS, only 6.1 per cent of women in Australia experienced sexual violence by a male stranger.

Twenty per cent — equivalent to 2 million women nationwide — had experienced sexual violence by a man already familiar to them.

Last year the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) published the results of its Justice Responses to Sexual Violence inquiry.

The report noted that nine out of 10 women did not report sexual violence to the police and that their experience with the justice system was “re-traumatising”.

Source: Support services nationwide ‘buckling under demand’ during Sexual Assault Awareness Month – ABC News