Trump Unleashes War on Immigrants
Date first published: 31 January 2017 Shock was the reaction many experienced when Donald Trump was announced as the next US president on November 8 last year. But as the dust settled and the wait for the inauguration was on,...
The Mysterious Execution of a Beloved Sydney Orchid Grower
Darren Galea was kidnapped by two men. His wrists were bound and he was taken to Duck River Reserve on Mona Street in Auburn. He was walked out into the bushland park and lost a thong along the way. He...
Harm Minimisation and the Failed War on Drugs: An Interview with NUAA’s Yvonne Samuel
The Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report on June 2, 2011, that declared “the global war on drugs has failed.” The organisation called on governments to experiment with “models of legal regulation of drugs” to curb organised crime and...
RIP Presumption of Innocence: Juries May Be Informed of Past Convictions
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released model legislation on November 25 last year to amend the Evidence Act. The draft bill aims to allow for the broader admissibility of tendency and coincidence evidence. The proposed amendments would mean...
Stop Criminalising Homelessness: An Interview with Homeless Persons Union’s Patrick “Spike” Chiappalone
Date originally published: 25 January 2017 A crisis meeting was called at Melbourne Town Hall on Monday night to discuss the city’s homelessness situation, amid calls to create a new bylaw to ban sleeping rough on the city streets. Victoria police...
Government to Deport Alleged Apex Gang Members
According to Victoria police, a good way to deal with the state’s crime problem is to deport young adult gang members. A parliamentary body is also considering whether those under the age of 18 can also be turfed out of...
A Career of Firsts: An Interview with Former NSW Magistrate Pat O’Shane
Former NSW magistrate Pat O’Shane has had a pioneering career, marked by a series of firsts. The Kunjandji woman, who grew up in North Queensland, became the first female Aboriginal teacher in the state. After teaching at Cairns High School for...
NSW Court Rules that Identification Based Partly on a Media Report is Admissible
A riot broke out in the Fowler Compound of Villawood Detention Centre on April 20, 2011. What initially began as a rooftop protest against conditions in the centre by a handful of detainees, soon escalated into a chaotic disturbance involving about...
Legalising Psychedelic Drugs: An Interview with LSD Advocate Greg Kasarik
Greg Kasarik appeared in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court on January 10 this year, on a charge of being in possession of a drug of dependency. Kasarik was arrested on April 19 last year, when he was found in possession of LSD, while he was...
The Government’s Solution to Youth Unrest is to Send Them to Adult Prisons
Four more young people have been sent to an adult prison in Victoria, after allegedly being involved in the state’s continued rioting at juvenile detention centres. On Monday, a magistrate ruled the youths couldn’t be controlled in youth custody, and threatened...
