Book Review: Commonwealth Criminal Law

Author: Troy Anderson

Publisher: The Federation Press

Reviewed by Associate Professor Louise Floyd

For those of us who do not often practise criminal law, thoughts of that area of practice may be limited to irksome memories of Dabelstein and his dreaded lead pencil…But street crime (such as murder, burglary etc) is but one important part of the criminal law field.

Commonwealth Criminal Law (both the book under review and the area of practice, itself) includes matters covered by, for example, the Commonwealth Crimes Act and Criminal Code and it encompasses, for instance:

• some fraud,
• social security offences,
• taxation offences,
• Corporations Law offences, like insolvent and insider trading,
• financial services offences,
• money laundering and matters covered under the Proceeds of Crime Act,
• counter terrorism,
• serious drug offences, and
• child exploitation.

In addition to discussing all of these, Troy Anderson’s book also analyses sentencing, imprisonment and release.

On that list alone, one reaches the conclusion that Commonwealth Crime is a very broadly relevant area — and that even those of us who are not criminal lawyers would do well to either have a copy of this work in chambers or at least know that the work is available, if needed.

The foreword of the book states that it is “aimed unashamedly at practitioners and students.” It is also said to fill a genuine gap in the literature. It certainly does appear to do so to me. I heartily recommend it.

Louise Floyd