Legislative reforms arising from the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s 2021 report on Improving the Justice System Response to Sexual Offences came into effect on 30 July 2023.
This seminar is your opportunity to learn about some of these significant reforms. Through this seminar, you will learn about key reforms implemented by the Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters0 Act 2022, including:
- New statutory provisions on when a person does not consent to sexual activity, including statutory provisions which prohibit ‘stealthing’ – the removal, non-use or tampering with a condom without the other person’s consent – and the expanded range of coercive conduct which vitiates consent;
- New statutory provisions on when a person does not have a reasonable belief in consent, including the new ‘affirmative consent’ standard;
- The expansion of laws regarding confidential communications to also cover protected health information.
Speakers.
County Court of Victoria
Judge Amanda Chambers
Judge Amanda Chambers was appointed a Judge of the County Court of Victoria and President of the Children’s Court on 9 June 2015, holding the later position until 1 January 2021. Judge Chambers now sits in the Criminal Division of the County Court where she serves as Head of List Court Operations and Strategy at the County Court which encompasses oversight of the Sexual Offences List. Prior to her appointment to the County Court, Judge Chambers served as a Magistrate of the State of Victoria for over eight years where she was Supervising Magistrate of the Sexual Offences List for three years. Judge Chambers also served as a part-time Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission from 2008-2012 on references including Jury Directions, Sex Offender Registration, Child Protection and Guardianship laws.
County Court of Victoria
Judge Amanda Chambers
Judge Amanda Chambers was appointed a Judge of the County Court of Victoria and President of the Children’s Court on 9 June 2015, holding the later position until 1 January 2021. Judge Chambers now sits in the Criminal Division of the County Court where she serves as Head of List Court Operations and Strategy at the County Court which encompasses oversight of the Sexual Offences List. Prior to her appointment to the County Court, Judge Chambers served as a Magistrate of the State of Victoria for over eight years where she was Supervising Magistrate of the Sexual Offences List for three years. Judge Chambers also served as a part-time Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission from 2008-2012 on references including Jury Directions, Sex Offender Registration, Child Protection and Guardianship laws.