Cameron v the Queen P87/2000

The High Court of Australia considered the appeal of Cameron against the Queen. The dispute concerned the admissibility of evidence obtained by police during a search of the appellant's property.

The central legal issue before the High Court was whether the evidence, which included a quantity of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, had been obtained in contravention of the appellant's rights under s 18 of the *Drugs Misuse and Representations Act 1986* (Qld). Specifically, the Court had to determine if the police had reasonable grounds to believe that the appellant was in possession of dangerous drugs at the time of the search, and if the search warrant was therefore lawfully issued.

Gaudron and Kirby JJ, in their joint judgment, applied the principles of statutory interpretation to the *Drugs Misuse and Representations Act 1986* (Qld). They held that the requirement for police to have reasonable grounds to believe a person is in possession of dangerous drugs before obtaining a search warrant is a significant safeguard against arbitrary searches. The Court found that the information available to the police at the time of seeking the warrant did not establish reasonable grounds for such a belief, and therefore the search was unlawful. Consequently, the evidence obtained as a result of the unlawful search was inadmissible.

The appeal was allowed, and the conviction was quashed.