Balancing the Scales: Rape, Law Reform and Australian Culture

Abstract

Over the last twenty years there has been a succession of reforms to sexual assault laws in all Australian jurisdictions. The chapters in this book examine how effective the reforms have been in challenging the traditional norms of the legal system. They discuss: the common law offence of rape; elements of consent; the limited impact of the abolition of marital rape immunity; changes in compensation for victims of crime; the notion of the reasonable victim; and corroboration warnings and the rape shield laws. Each chapter is separately indexed.

Keywords: rape, sexual assault, law, Australia, reforms, legal system, common law offence, consent, marital rape immunity, victim compensation, crime, reasonable victim, corroboration warnings, rape shield laws

JEL Classification: K00