Asylum Seekers Need Help: An Interview With RACS Solicitor Ben Lumsdaine
Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton announced in late May that 7,500 asylum seekers were being given until October 1 to lodge their protection visa applications, or they’d face deportation. He stated that the “game was up” for “fake refugees.” However, what...
‘Black Pete’ Christmas Tradition Is Dividing the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a tradition of white people dressing up in ‘blackface’ to celebrate Christmas. Black Pete is the character they’re portraying. His costume may also comprise exaggerated red lips, a curly afro wig, and huge gold earrings. At celebrations,...
Medicinal Cannabis Doctor Is Being Held Behind Bars on Remand
The benefits of medicinal cannabis have been widely recognised over recent years. Cannabis medicines have been used to ease the pain associated with chemotherapy, to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, as well as to reduce seizures in cases of...
Protecting Civil Liberties: An Interview With NSWCCL President Stephen Blanks
At the October 5 Council of Australian Governments meeting, state and territory leaders agreed that a new federal law should be established that would allow terror suspects to be detained for up to 14 days without any charges being brought against...
Semi-Automatic Weapons: Another Step in the Militarisation of NSW Police
As of last Monday, Sydneysiders will have to get used to seeing NSW police officers on city streets carrying military-style assault rifles. The move is just the latest counter terrorism and organised crime measure that’s leading to the ever-increasing militarisation of...
Norway Is Decriminalising Drug Possession
The global shift towards a health-based approach to the use of illicit substances continues, as Norway becomes the first Scandinavian country to decriminalise the use of illegal drugs. The move is yet another admission that the almost fifty-year-old war on...
The Modern Slave Trade is Alive and Well
A CNN report about West African migrants being sold in open-air slave markets in Libya sparked outrage around the globe last month. Although, reports about the growing slave trade in the North African country have been emerging since early 2017. Published on...
Needle Exchanges Are Desperately Needed in Australian Prisons
It’s well-known that illicit substance use occurs right across the Australian prison system. A 2010 Corrective Services NSW report found that just over a third of inmates reported using an illegal drug at least once during their current stint behind bars....
Pill Testing Is Inevitable: An Interview with MP Shane Rattenbury
Despite the initial set back to Australia’s first government-sanctioned pill testing trial taking place, it appears that those behind the initiative are confident it will go ahead. According to them, the question is not if, but when. On September 22,...
Marriage Equality is Law, But the Religious Freedoms Debate Continues
It was an historic moment last Thursday, when the marriage equality bill passed through the lower house of parliament, enshrining same-sex marriage in the law. It brought an end to the Howard government’s ban on LGBTIQ marriages, enacted by a 2004 amendment to...
