Which state in Australia thinks it's OK for police to strip search a child suspected of graffiti? Or carrying a can of beer?

When it comes to teenagers' dealings with the law, rights vary enormously from state to state.

In the video above, a woman says she was threatened and humiliated by police conducting a strip search

And sometimes even police appear unsure whether they have just completed a search or committed an assault.

A public hearing in Sydney on Tuesday heard evidence from a NSW police officer who conducted strip searches at last year's Splendour in the Grass music festival in Byron Bay.

The officer admitted to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) that of the 19 strip searches he conducted, just one item - a valium tablet - was found.

The officer, whose identity has been protected, conceded that none of the searches appeared to meet the "threshold of urgency" required under NSW law and, in hindsight, were therefore probably illegal.

"This has been a massive learning experience for me," he said.

Humiliating ordeal

The commission is investigating allegations of police misconduct over the strip searching of a 16-year-old girl at the two-day festival in July last year.

In a statement read out to the inquiry on Monday, the girl, known as BRC, said she was "humiliated, scared and completely alone", and was left “sobbing uncontrollably” after the ordeal.

Chevron Right Icon 'The law fails child protection principles and is causing harm.'

Samantha Lee, a lawyer and head of police accountability at the Redfern Legal Centre, said evidence heard in the inquiry this week showed that strip search laws in NSW were in need of urgent reform.

“Strip search law is the only law that I know of which allows an adult to direct a child to take off all their clothes in a foreign environment," she told 7NEWS.com.au.

"This week’s LECC hearing clearly shows that strip search law needs to change.

"The law is antiquated, it fails child protection principles and is causing harm."

More allegations

On Thursday, a 17-year-old girl claimed she was among more than 20 Extinction Rebellion activists who were strip-searched in the Brisbane City police watch after being detained on the third day of street protests.

In the case of witness BRC, the strip search was probably illegal; NSW law says a minor must have a parent, guardian or support person of choice with them while the search is being undertaken.

No such law exists in Queensland, however.

When it comes to police powers in conducting strip searches on teenagers, laws are far from uniform across the country, as a cursory analysis of Youth Law Australia data shows.

Under what grounds can I be searched?

Police in all states and territories have the right to strip search a person between the ages of 10 and 18.

But laws on how a search can be conducted, and under what circumstances, vary.

Suspicion of carrying a weapon, illicit drugs or drug paraphernalia will get you strip searched anywhere in Australia.

But only in South Australia and Tasmania can you be strip searched on suspicion of carrying or consuming alcohol.

And only in the apple isle can you be strip searched as a minor because you're suspected of engaging in graffiti; or carrying something that might be considered by police to be a poisonous substance.

In Queensland, suspicions of carrying stolen property, concealing evidence of a crime on your person, carrying something with which you could break into a house or car, or something with which you could hurt yourself as well as others, will also get you strip searched.

What are my rights?

The ACT and Victoria have the most restrictive laws controlling police search powers.

In the country's capital, police must either make an arrest first or obtain a court order before they can conduct a strip search on a minor.

However, this criteria may be waived if there are serious concerns you are concealing a dangerous weapon.

In Victoria, police can’t perform a strip search on anyone under 18 at all, unless the suspect gives their permission or they go to the Children’s Court and get a warrant.

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In the other states and territories, various nebulous conditions surrounding "necessity" and "urgency" apply.

But under all jurisdictions, a strip search must be conducted in privacy, by someone of the same sex when at all possible, and with a parent, guardian or support person present.

That is, except in Queensland and the Northern Territory, where police have the power to search without any delay on grounds of urgency.

South Australia stands alone in its law that allows cavity searches on minors, but only if carried out by a medical professional such as a doctor or nurse.

Mandatory court orders needed

The Redfern Legal Centre says children should not be strip searched in any circumstance without police first obtaining a court order.

"Child protection principles should apply to any decision made in relation to the strip search of minors," Lee said.

“It should also be mandatory for an adult, independent from police or other state agencies, to be present during the search.”

The call for reforms has the backing of University of NSW law academics Dr Michael Grewcock and Dr Vicki Sentas, authors of a Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police report.

Chevron Right Icon 'It is the most invasive form of personal search available to police.'

They say current laws across Australia are failing to provide police with clear guidance on conducting such invasive search procedures," Dr Sentas said.

"A strip search is the most invasive form of personal search available to police without a court order.

"Yet over the past decade we have seen the number of strip searches continue to rise.

"Our findings reveal such searches are doing little to tackle serious drug crime."