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Nimbin

Police Power More Present than Ever at Nimbin Mardi Grass Festival

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The New Wales Police Force has been at the frontline of the state Government’s crackdown on music festivals this year, with substantial funds being allocated to ensure the events are heavily policed. The Nimbin Mardi Grass was no exception. The small town on the far northern coast of the state hosts the festival every year. …
Lawyer David McBride

In the Public Interest: An Interview With Former Military Lawyer David McBride

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Former military lawyer David McBride appeared in the ACT Supreme Court on 13 June on charges relating to classified military files that he handed over to an ABC journalist in 2016. The leaked documents formed the basis of the 2017 report The Afghan Files. Mr McBride had previously pled not guilty to five charges, which …

Julian Assange, the AFP Raids, and the Crime of Dissent

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If News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst was watching the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday morning, she might have been surprised to see Peter Dutton discussing the domestic spying proposal that AFP officers raided her home in relation to just thirteen days earlier. Not only did the home affairs minister deny there is a proposal to …

Stockpiled Firearms are a Magnet for Thieves

By ▪︎ & ▪︎

Following a mass shooting in Darwin’s CBD earlier this month, a University of Sydney expert on gun violence has criticised police over their inaction when it comes to tracking shotguns, rifles and handguns in Australia. Darwin shooting It has been alleged that 45-year old Darwin resident Ben Hoffman shot and killed four people on 4 …
Police assault on Australia day

NSW District Court Judge Slams Brutal Police

By ▪︎ & ▪︎

Judge Roy Ellis of the New South Wales District Court has made clear there was no excuse for police officers to violently drag 28-year old Indigenous man Carl Hoppner from a police vehicle at Toronto Police Station on Australia Day last year before repeatedly punching and kicking him while he lay handcuffed and huddled on …

Drivers Face Fines for ‘Normal’ Passenger Behaviour

By ▪︎ & ▪︎

It’s a law you may not know about, but certainly one worth brushing up on. You’re on a long drive and your front seat passenger is relaxing watching a YouTube clip or a movie on a tablet or smart phone. Seems harmless enough, right? Actually, as a driver, you can be given three demerit points …
Sydney Criminal Lawyers®

Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 10 to 16 June 2019

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In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: Towards Torres Strait Autonomy: An Interview With GBK’s Ned David There are calls for locals to have greater autonomy over their lands. Click here to read the article Domestic Violence Murders Double in New South Wales Domestic violence-related murders have …

Cannabis Legalisation Is Creeping Closer for Canberra

By ▪︎ ▪︎

The ACT Legislative Assembly health committee last week tabled its report on the legislation that would see the personal possession and use of cannabis legalised in the capital territory. And with a great sigh of relief, the review recommended the bill be supported subject to some amendments. The Personal Cannabis Use Bill was introduced into …
Fairy floss

The Offence of Drug Supply in New South Wales

By ▪︎ ▪︎

A South Australian man has been handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence for selling a range of cannabis-infused products, including fairy-floss, hazelnut spread, lollies and lip balm. 32-year old James Stephen Woodward pleaded guilty in the state’s District Court to possessing, manufacturing and supplying an illegal drug. Police raided his home last year after receiving …
Animal protest

Silencing Dissent: Government Demonises and Targets Animal Welfare Activists

By ▪︎ ▪︎

Recently appointed Australian agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie has vowed to continue the Morrison government’s crackdown on animal welfare activists with the fast tracking of new laws aimed at preventing protests being carried out by those she terms as “agri-terrorists”. Prime minister Scott Morrison first spruiked the laws that could see activists imprisoned for up to …