Welcome to Hearsay, a podcast about law and legal issues for students and everyone else.
Each episode, I will present a selection of news updates and discussion of legal issues. The show will generally follow this format:
- Summary Matters — Brief information about a selection of legal news that is important, but doesn’t require detailed discussion or explanation. (Summary matters are less serious criminal cases, heard in the Magistrates’ Court.)
- Examination-in-Chief — The main topic each week will be explained or discussed in more detail. I will try to provide background information, context, and my own views about the merits of the issue. (Examination-in-chief is the main questioning of a witness by the party who called them.)
- Learned Friends — There are a lot of other great sites out there, and each episode I’ll give you a recommendation and a brief explanation why I like it. (In court etiquette, counsel refer to other barristers as “my learned friend”.)
- Address in Reply — I welcome your feedback! Please, leave a comment or send me an email to robert@hearsaypodcast.com, and I will try to respond directly or in the next episode. You can also leave a voice message to be included in a future episode! I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions for topics, or any questions you have. (At the start of each parliamentary session, the Governor or Governor-General makes a speech setting out the Government’s agenda; the Address in Reply is a formal motion that allows MPs to respond.)
- Adjournment — I will wrap up each episode with some light-hearted legal news, and remind you about how to find the podcast and get in touch to discuss what you’ve heard. (At the end of a court hearing or parliamentary sitting, proceedings are adjourned to be recommenced at a future time.)
The show notes for each episode will include links to relevant sources, either referred to in the episode or for further background. Even if you don’t listen to the podcast, I hope you will find these links useful.
What’s it for?
This podcast is my attempt to make life a bit easier for VCE Legal Studies students (and teachers!) by sharing links to news reports, academic reports, court documents, and legal professional information that relates to the study design.
While following current affairs is an important habit for students to develop, it can be very difficult and time consuming during the VCE years. I hope the Hearsay podcast will point out some of the “highlights” and make it easier to keep up-to-date.
I will try to categorise episodes in a way that makes it useful for research and revision on topics within the VCE Legal Studies course. However, I don’t pretend this is a comprehensive site, or that it is a substitute for studying. It is simply a collection of those links I come across that strike me as interesting. Caveat emptor.
But a warning: The links shared may go beyond the strict scope of the course. If you are thinking about relying on the information on this site—for example, using something as an example in an exam response—always check with your Legal Studies teacher before you do so.
Who is running this thing?
I’m Robert Corr, and I’m a legal studies teacher at the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School. I am also admitted to practise as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Previously, I have worked as an electorate officer for two members of the House of Representatives, for a Senator and Deputy Opposition Whip, as an associate to a justice of the Supreme Court of WA, and as a prosecutor with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.