World Moves Closer to Cannabis Decriminalisation
Despite the lamentable outcome of the NZ cannabis legalisation referendum that saw the usually progressive nation vote in a slight majority against making the plant legal for recreational use, the ongoing international trend towards cannabis use becoming a legal practice...
Victoria Police are Primarily Responsible for the ‘Lawyer X’ Scandal
Established in late 2018, the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants handed down its final report this week. The inquiry delved into Victoria police’s use of criminal lawyer Nicola Gobbo as a police informant and the implications this...
The Brereton Report’s Detailing of Historical Australian War Crimes: Part 2
The recently released Brereton report into alleged SAS war atrocities perpetrated in Afghanistan provides an account of historical Australian war crimes committed in six different conflicts. In our first article relating to the history, we provided a rundown on the...
The Brereton Report’s Detailing of Historical Australian War Crimes: Part 1
The laws of armed conflict or international humanitarian law (IHL) are a set of rules governing what can and cannot be done during war. The four Geneva Conventions and their protocols comprise the majority of the law, with almost all...
Managing Problematic Behaviours: An Interview With Smart Recovery’s Josette Freeman
As it’s often said, the first step to recovery is admitting to yourself that you have a problem, while the second step is reaching out. And for many people, what springs to mind initially is 12 step recovery programs, such...
Computers in NSW Prison Cells: An Interview With Former Family Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Evatt
As the old adage goes, prison is for punishment, not for further punishment. Indeed, it’s the deprivation of an individual’s liberty that a judge sentences them to prison for, not so they can be subjected to further retribution while behind...
Allocating Millions Without Documentation. So What? Says Berejiklian
The rules pertaining to proper conduct applying to all citizens of this state, as well as less senior politicians, don’t apply when it comes to the NSW premier, according to the suspect actions and excuses of current office-bearer Gladys Berejiklian....
Drop the Charges Against Former Military Lawyer David McBride
Former Australian Defence Force lawyer David McBride is still facing five national security-related charges - that carry up to life imprisonment - for exposing the SAS “warrior culture” in Afghanistan that was leading troops to perpetrate war crimes. McBride blew...
The Hypocrisy of Australian Politicians Condemning Crime and Corruption
On the day of the release of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes perpetrated by Australian SAS troops in Afghanistan, Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie suggested in a tweet that the concern being shown by government ministers over its...
The White Australia Policy Part 2: The Legacy
With the passing of the Migration Act (Cth) in 1958, most of the laws that made up the White Australia Policy came to an end. The dictation test that was imposed upon potential migrants that the nation wanted to keep...
