Taking to the Streets in Protest? Know Your Rights Beforehand
The mid-April climate emergency protests in London shut down parts of the city for over a week. Instigated by the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement, these acts of nonviolent civil disobedience led to the arrests of over 1,000 protesters. And local...
Morrison Moves to Silence Trade Unions
The Liberal Nationals government delivered on prime minister Scott Morrison’s post-election promise to crack down on trade unions, when it reintroduced the Ensuring Integrity Bill into the lower house of parliament on Thursday. Having stalled last year with a lack...
A Voice for Progressive Reform: An Interview With Labor MLC Rose Jackson
During her June maiden speech in NSW parliament, newly-incumbent Labor MLC Rose Jackson reminded those gathered that this state was once a world leader in harm reduction, which was exemplified by the establishment of the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre...
Stop the City to Stop Adani: An Interview With NUS’ Lily Campbell
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science signed off on the final government approval that Adani needed prior to beginning work on its Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. And the week following, the Indian mining giant started construction...
The Return of Dutton: Enhanced Domestic Surveilling and Attacks on Minorities
The Liberal Nationals re-election has gone down as Morrison’s “miracle” win. Likened to the triumph of Trump and the success of the Brexit campaign, the May federal election is another example of an unexpected rise in reactionary sentiment that on...
Folau, Morrison and the Christian Right to Discriminate
The PM’s pet campaign to protect religious freedoms has recently converged with the media focus around Israel Folau’s sacking over his vilification of LGBTIQ people, which has brought the national debate to a head over whether Christians have the right...
Police Are Routinely Breaching Strip-Search Laws, As Well As Their Own Protocols
Section 31 of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 provides that police can carry out strip searches in the field if “the seriousness and urgency of the circumstances make the strip search necessary”. These days, NSW police has...
A Creeping Surveillance State: An Interview With the Human Rights Law Centre’s Emily Howie
The ABC has launched a legal challenge in the Federal Court against the validity of the search warrant that AFP agents used to raid its Sydney office on 5 June. The national broadcaster claims the warrant breaches the implied freedom...
Against Animal Atrocities: An Interview With Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst
Newly-appointed federal agricultural minister Bridget McKenzie has vowed to crack down on “agri-terrorists”. Indeed, following nationwide nonviolent animal welfare protests in April, McKenzie said she wanted to see laws similar to the US, where animal activists face steep prison time....
Punishment Disguised as Safety: The Injustice of Drug Driving Laws
Enpsychedelia presenter Nick Wallis hosted a roadside drug testing forum on 4 May at the Nimbin MardiGrass, with panellists that included Reason Party leader Fiona Patten, HEMP Party secretary Andrew Kavasilas and renowned medicinal cannabis practitioner Dr Andrew Katelaris. During...
