I’m sure an argument can be made that privacy extends from property, but that argument would have to be fleshed our and defended - I’m not sure I can accept at face value a point about there not being a right to property in Australia (essentially incorrect) because privacy is being eroded (which in any case sounds like faulty reasoning).
I’m fairly certain it’s still the case that you can’t be compelled to incriminate yourself in a court. Of course you have clearly unjust laws like those concerning the Building/Construction Commission in which an ad hoc court can compel you to give evidence against yourself, but this is an abberation which has not had the opportunity to be challenged in the High Court AFAIK, and it will likely be abolished when Labor comes back into power.
You can be compelled to give evidence against yourself in a royal commission. This is one of the reasons royal commissions are popular - that and they employ an army of lawyers and QCs.
I suppose what I meant to say was ‘in a criminal case’. You can be compelled to give evidence against yourself in non-criminal cases in the US too, the fifth amendment provides for protection only in criminal cases. I’m not sure if you can be compelled to give evidence against yourself in criminal cases in Australia, but in any case, royal commissions are not criminal cases, they’re commissions with quasi-judicial Powers (mainly because they have the power to compel people to do produce evidence, etc.)
No you can’t be compelled to give evidence against yourself in a normal criminal case. You can be compelled to give evidence in a royal commission hearing and that evidence can be used to prosecute you in a subsequent criminal case.
“Section 6DD of the Act provides that, where a witness is compelled by a summons to give evidence to the Royal Commission, that evidence isn’t admissible against a natural person in any civil or criminal proceedings in any court of the Commonwealth, or of a state or territory. It is, however, admissible against a corporation. ”
Interesting. There is this very relevant paragraph which makes the immunity rather moot.
However, evidential immunity under s 6DD doesn’t protect clients (who have been compelled to give evidence to the Royal Commission) from a regulator, such as ASIC, using their evidence as a springboard to gather secondary or derivative evidence, and using that derivative evidence against them.
I’m fairly certain it’s still the case that you can’t be compelled to incriminate yourself in a court. Of course you have clearly unjust laws like those concerning the Building/Construction Commission in which an ad hoc court can compel you to give evidence against yourself, but this is an abberation which has not had the opportunity to be challenged in the High Court AFAIK, and it will likely be abolished when Labor comes back into power.