Anti-Fake News Laws: Preventing Misinformation or Silencing Dissent?
Fake news is a fairly recent concept that has accompanied the rise of social media. And concerns about the spread of false information have become more intense following allegations of the Russian use of misinformation to influence the 2016 US elections...
Church-led Coalition Calls for Drug Decriminalisation
On Friday morning, Sir Richard Branson launched Uniting’s Fair Treatment campaign at Sydney Town Hall. The well-known drug reform advocate threw his support behind the campaign that’s pushing for the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs for personal use, as well as...
Socially Progressive, Economically Sensible: An Interview with Independent, Dr Kerryn Phelps
Dr Kerryn Phelps recently called on prime minister Scott Morrison to release the final report of the Ruddock review on religious freedoms prior to next week’s Wentworth byelection, in which she’s running as an independent. Now that hasn’t happened. But, what...
Australia’s First Cannabis Medicine: An Interview With Little Green Pharma’s Fleta Solomon
Locally-grown and produced medicinal cannabis products are finally available on the Australian market. Western Australian company Little Green Pharma is the first amongst a number of producers to deliver the long-awaited local product since cannabis medicines were legalised. However, this...
Cannabis Legalisation Is Inevitable: An Interview With ADLaRI’s Ben Mostyn
Global drug prohibition had its beginnings over a century ago. And the intensification of its law enforcement aspect – known as the war on drugs – was launched by Nixon in 1971. In NSW, this prohibitive system is reflected in the...
The Cannabis Climate in Australia: An Interview With SA Cannabis Council’s Matthew Rowland
Attitudes to the cannabis plant are rapidly changing around the globe. Recreational cannabis is now legal in nine US states, while Canada is set to legalise it nationwide. And medicinal cannabis is now readily available in 31 jurisdictions throughout the US. The...
Despite Fatalities, NSW Police Increase the Use of Lethal Pursuits
A NSW police highway patrol car slammed into the vehicle of Gai Vieira at an intersection in Cronulla on 5 September. At the time of the collision, the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officer was in pursuit of another driver who...
Julian Burnside Backs Greens’ Benedict Coyne in Bid to Oust Dutton
Renowned barrister Julian Burnside QC posted a tweet on 23 September pointing out that the “cruel detention” on Manus Island and Nauru has cost Australian taxpayers over $9.6 billion, and the cost of detaining each of the 1,650 remaining asylum seekers...
NSW Police Force Doubles Strip Searches
The NSW Police Force has nearly doubled the number of strip searches it carries out after positive indications from drug detection dogs. In 2016, police officers carried out around 590 strip searches after an initial search turned up nothing, while in...
How Do Red Light Cameras Work?
A new red light speed camera began operating at the intersection of East Street and Moss Street in Nowra on 17 September. The intersection now joins one of 170-odd others across NSW that are fitted out with these devices. Red...
