The COVID-19 Response Is Undermining the Rule of Law
Australia’s liberal democracy rests upon the doctrine of the separation of powers, which upholds the rule of law. It ensures that the three arms of government - the legislative, the executive and the judicial - remain separate entities. The legislature,...
The Gates Foundation’s Prophetic Coronavirus Pandemic Simulation
On 18 October last year, the Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and the John Hopkins Centre for Health Security held a pandemic simulation exercise, with the aim of “educating senior leaders” about an adequate response to the type of...
Innocent Refugees Denied COVID-19 Protection
“This is coronavirus torture. It will come sooner or later,” Mostafa Azimitabar made certain, as he spoke over the phone from his room at the Mantra Hotel. “If one person catches this virus, all of these refugees will get it...
Stop COVID Aboriginal Deaths in Custody: An Interview With the ALS’s Makayla Reynolds
Right now, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, people are being told not to leave their homes unless it’s a necessity. And authorities nationwide are enforcing these new regulations, ensuring compliance via threat of steep penalties. Yet, despite the potential...
“It’s a Crime to Report a Crime”: An Interview With Lawyer Bernard Collaery
During the Second World War, Australia deployed more than 1,400 troops to the island of Timor to curb the approaching Japanese forces in the region. And our nation’s guerrilla operations would not have been so successful without the support of...
Defendant Granted Bail Due to Coronavirus Concerns
As the COVID-19 epidemic unfolds, it’s having a substantial impact on the Australian criminal justice system, from the Local Court all the way up to the High Court of Australia. NSW District Court Chief Judge Derek Price announced on 30...
NSW Police State: Commissioner Fuller in Control of COVID Response
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Monday morning that the new coronavirus rule regarding outdoor gatherings would be enforced as of midnight. And since then, citizens no longer have the right to assemble with more than one person outside, besides...
If Nonviolent Inmates Aren’t Released for COVID, the Nation Will Pay
Right before the Berejiklian government closed down parliament until mid-September due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it passed a law that allows for the early release of prison inmates on parole based on a number of factors including offence, age, health...
The Coronavirus: A Civil Liberties Nightmare of Orwellian Proportions
Imagine a reality where people were forced by the authorities to remain in their homes under threat of steep fines, while outside the police patrol the deserted streets, ensuring that no one steps outside without official authorisation. While this might...
The New Police Powers to Deal With COVID-19
The NSW Police Force will have thousands of additional officers deployed on the streets enforcing new coronavirus social distancing rules and self-isolating requirements in an attempt, as NSW police minister David Elliot put it, “to kill this virus before it...
