Suspicious Circumstances: Tane Chatfield’s Alleged Suicide Doesn’t Add Up
As Colin Chatfield puts it, his son was about to be released from prison in relation to charges he’d been remanded over for two years, as eight witnesses couldn’t identify him during his trial as being involved in the armed...
“No Longer a Victim, But a Survivor”: An Interview With Voices for Change’s Catalina Valencia
Catalina Valencia was a strong, independent mother, who worked in various roles helping others in the community. She was a case manager assisting women impacted by homelessness, as well as an interpreter for people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Although, that...
“Strip Searches Are Effectively a Form of State-Sanctioned Sexual Assault”.
Deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame released her report on the inquest into the deaths of six patrons at NSW music festivals last Friday. And it contains a recommendation that the NSW Police Force scale back its use of strip searches...
No Conviction for Cannabis Oil Manufacture and Supply: An Interview With Cannabis Healer Jenny Hallam
Finally, after three years, Jenny Hallam’s ordeal with the authorities is over. And thankfully, rather than facing any prison time, last Thursday, SA District Court Judge Rauf Soulio recorded no conviction against her name and imposed a two year good...
The Offence of Consorting in New South Wales
In the nation’s capital territory, motorcycle club-related crime is reportedly on the rise. Recent incidents have included a large brawl in a bar between rival club members, a targeted shooting and the fire-bombing of a house. In response, ACT attorney...
A Legal App for International Students: An Interview With RLC Solicitor Sean Stimson
Relocating to another country is no walk in the park, especially when the local language is not your mother tongue. And for the ever-increasing numbers of international students coming to Australia, they have to contend with learning to navigate local...
People in High Places are Calling for Drug Decriminalisation
The global system of drug prohibition began in the early 20th century. Since then, a series of international drug control conventions have been established, ostensibly on the basis of trying to reduce the harms that certain drugs cause in the...
Suspicious Circumstances: Rebecca Maher, Neglected and Left to Die
A little after midnight on 19 July 2016, NSW police sergeant Nathan Brooks came across Rebecca Maher and her companion DT - not his real name - on Wollombi Road in Cessnock. Rebecca appeared intoxicated to Brooks, as “she was...
When the Rivers Run Dry: An Interview With Bourke Water Activist Fleur Thompson
Scotdesco is a remote Aboriginal community on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia that ran out of water last week. And despite the community having called on the state government back in April for help regarding their...
Mass Climate Refugees on the Horizon: An Interview With Dr Ian M McGregor
An open letter declaring that “planet Earth is facing a climate emergency” - co-signed by 11,000 scientists - was published on Tuesday. It asserts that despite the science being in on climate for 40 years, greenhouse gas emissions continue to...
