This chapter considers the rules affecting confessions and admissions in civil and criminal proceedings. Parties can make admissions because a previous representation can constitute an admission before there is even any case. As a matter of terminology, in criminal proceedings admissions involve the defendant acknowledging only a limited aspect of the case against them, whereas a confession involves a full acknowledgement of guilt. Despite these technical differences, the term ‘admissions’ is used in the Act to cover both circumstances and therefore in this chapter for consistency.

The first issue this chapter addresses is whether the evidence adduced is in fact an admission. This is followed by an explanation of the statutory rules and cases pertaining to mandatory electronic recording of admissions. The chapter then considers the voluntariness and reliability requirements under ss 84 and 85. The types of statements and conduct that may amount to evidence of an admission in civil and criminal proceedings are explored. Finally, the unfairness discretion under the common law and the role of s 90 are considered.

The focus of this book is the uniform Evidence Act (referred to throughout as ‘the Act’ or ‘the Acts’). The Act has not been introduced in Queensland, South Australia or Western Australia, where each state’s Evidence Act and the common law apply. However, the Act is still an important reference guide for those states due to the connection between the common law and the Act. Despite the differences between jurisdictions that have adopted the Act, there is a significant degree of uniformity. Accordingly, in this book, the provisions that are extracted to indicate the rules in relation to the Act come from the Commonwealth Act. Any important jurisdictional differences are separately identified.

This chapter considers the legislative history of evidence law and some fundamental introductory concepts that are used frequently in evidence law and the trial process. This chapter is an introductory overview; specific topics are dealt with in substance in subsequent chapters.

In this chapter, we focus on multilingualism and language contact, moving away from the strong focus on monolingualism characteristic of many traditional approaches to language history, and discussing various onsets, scenarios and outcomes of language contact. We introduce the concepts of borrowing and imposition as central constructs to understand contact-induced change in language, illustrating and critically examining these ideas in three case studies: the development of loanwords in Canadian French, Germanic substrate effects in the formation of American Englishes and mixed-language business writing in medieval Britain after the Norman Conquest. Building on these cases, we discuss which elements of the language can be transferred and explore possible pathways of social diffusion of borrowings, as well touching upon various traits and examples of code switching and similar multilingual practices in historical texts. Finally, we evaluate the constructs of pidgin and creole languages, discussing to what extent they can be seen as different in structural terms, or whether their distinctiveness arises primarily from the sociohistorical circumstances from which they arose.

This chapter explains credibility evidence under pt 3.7 of the Act and the common law principles governing the admission of credibility evidence. Central to this topic is what constitutes credibility evidence.

In general, credibility evidence is evidence that is directly relevant to the establishment of the credibility of a witness or another person for the ultimate purpose of establishing the facts in issue. As a consequence, credibility evidence is ‘collateral’ with respect to the establishment of the primary facts in issue in a proceeding. From the perspective of relevance, credibility evidence is admissible, even though it is collateral. From the perspective of admissibility, credibility evidence is initially excluded (‘primarily’) because it is collateral, but is then admitted (‘secondarily’) under specific exceptions.

The chapter thus discusses credibility evidence; exclusion of credibility evidence about a witness under the credibility rule; exceptions that permit admission of credibility evidence about a witness; and the admission of credibility evidence about persons other than witnesses.

This chapter deals with a range of matters relating to the facilitation of proof (mostly found in ch 4 of the Act) and ancillary matters (found in ch 5 of the Act). Although these provisions are somewhat technical, many are important in practice, as they allow decisions to be reached without evidence having to be taken on some issues. They also regulate the ways in which certain kinds of information, such as that contained in public documents and registers, may be used. Other aspects of proof, such as the standards of proof applying in civil and criminal proceedings, as well as judicial notice, are dealt with in Chapter 1 of this book. Warnings, although falling within ch 4 of the Act, are discussed together with discretions and limiting directions in Chapter 12 of this book.

Responsible zooarchaeology encompasses: (1) care of reference collections, (2) management of zooarchaeological collections during study, (3) dissemination of results, and (4) long-term curation. Our responses to these challenges must be governed by shared values regarding the professional and ethical treatment of our natural and cultural heritage.

Zooarchaeological research reveals that humans are simultaneously resilient in the face of environmental change, and culpable as drivers of environmental change. Recent research indicates that even habitats thought to be unmodified by human activities were substantially, and often intentionally, altered by humans in the past. Zooarchaeological approaches to studying past environmental conditions generally fall within two primary themes: (1) the interactions between humans, animals, and the environments in which they live, and (2) the consequences of those interactions for both humans and animals.

Chapter 5 examines the trade-offs of corporate governing from both corporate and societal perspectives. Internally, it can enhance recruitment, morale, branding, and profitability – but also risks alienating stakeholders with conflicting political views. Externally, while corporate governing may offset political gridlock and support social change, it raises concerns about accountability, uneven influence, and democratic legitimacy. Companies may disengage, act opportunistically, or adopt positions that run counter to broader public goals. This chapter identifies two core challenges. First, corporate governing often falls short in advancing genuine social progress where business interests diverge from public needs – such as labor rights, antitrust, taxation, privacy, corporate and financial reform, and AI – underscoring the risks of stakeholderist reforms that expand executive discretion. Second, it may erode democratic processes by sidelining dissent and shifting policymaking into private hands. While the first concern may be mitigated by greater transparency, the second is more difficult. As public authority recedes, participatory democracy risks being displaced by corporate decision-making.