Ministers are Increasingly Ruling by Decree, Without Parliamentary Oversight
Executive branches of government are increasingly relying upon a form of lawmaking that bypasses any input from parliament, as well as avoiding its veto powers. Known as delegated legislation, this process involves a series of instruments known as regulations, rules...
A Growing Culture of Secrecy: Dr Keiran Hardy on Australia’s Terror Law Regime
The forcible arrest of Friendlyjordies producer Kristo Langker by the terrorism-related NSW Police Fixated Persons Investigations Unit at the behest of deputy premier John Barilaro over a couple of public pranks on the part of the online political satirist is...
Preventing Animal Cruelty in Law: An Interview With Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst
Two weeks ago, some much overdue amendments were made to NSW animal cruelty laws that reflect the serious nature of these crimes. The new measures also reveal that our society has progressed to a point where it’s better recognising the...
Medevac Refugees Hunger Strike Over Slow Torture of Indefinite Detention
Fourteen Medevac refugees currently detained in the Melbourne Immigration Detention Accommodation (MITA) facility commenced a hunger strike on 17 June. Eleven are currently refusing to eat in the centre, while three are hospitalised. Over the eleven days of the action,...
Dutton Asserts China Is Now the Enemy, Not Islamic Terrorism
“It is the urgency that gets me,” Sky News journalist Andrew Bolt said to Peter Dutton, in relation to the way the defence minister has handled the portfolio since it was handed to him in late March. “There is no...
High Court Finds that Indefinite Detention Is Lawful, to Government’s Delight
The majority of the High Court ruled on Wednesday that the indefinite detention of refugees, asylum seekers and long-term residents who are regarded as ‘unlawful non-citizens’ can lawfully be held in immigration detention for an indefinite period of time under...
SA Liberals Conduct Purge of Pentecostals After the Infiltration of Party Ranks
The South Australian Liberal Party terminated the membership of 150 Pentecostal Christians a fortnight ago, while it has further asked 400 more recently signed up members to show cause as to why they shouldn’t be turfed out as well. The...
“A Steady Deterioration in Rights” in Australia: An Interview With HRMI’s Thalia Kehoe Rowden
When the United Nations General Assembly announced that Australia would be serving on the UN Human Rights Council over the 2018-20 term, questions were raised about the nation’s fitness to hold a seat, especially in relation to its treatment of...
We Are All Friendlyjordies: The Systematic Silencing of Dissent
In line with the new norm for Coalition ministers, NSW deputy premier John Barilaro filed to sue Friendlyjordies presenter, Jordan Shanks, for defamation on 27 May, claiming the YouTube political satirist portrayed him as being corrupt in two video clips...
No Support for Religious Privileging Laws: An Interview With the Rationalist Society’s Neil Francis
Newly minted attorney general Michaelia Cash has signalled she’s producing a new draft of the Religious Discrimination Bill (RD Bill), which is a piece of legislation that purports to protect those of faith, whilst actually providing them with the privilege...
