The National DNA Database Is Watching You
Back in 2012, then NSW police minister Michael Gallacher proposed the establishment of a national DNA database, suggesting that genetic samples be taken from all newborns. The stored information could then be accessed under a Supreme Court warrant, and compared...
The Forest Wars: An Interview with Long Time Forest Campaigner Warrick Jordan
From the 1980s, right up until the early 2000s, the logging of old growth forests was the most prominent environmental issue in Australia. And what’s referred to as the forest wars – a conflict between environmentalist groups and the logging...
Far Right Wing Politics – Fanning the Flames of Hate
Publication date: 22 February 2017 It’s a month into Trump’s presidency, and in that time we’ve seen him produce a range executive orders delivering on several campaign promises: the defunct, soon-to-be newly-revised, Muslim ban, the $21.6 billion US-Mexican border wall proposal and...
Portugal’s Experience of Drug Decriminalisation
Around one percent of the population in Portugal was addicted to heroin in 1999. The nation also reportedly had the highest number of drug-related AIDS deaths in the European Union. The government had been waging the usual war on drugs since...
The Netherlands is Helping the Homeless, While We’re Criminalising Them
As in many developed countries, it’s becoming increasing rare for people in the Netherlands to carry cash, as electronic payment technologies are embraced for a wide variety of transactions. However, a section of society that’s being left behind by these...
Melbourne Needs an Injecting Room: An Interview with Australian Sex Party Leader Fiona Patten
There’s a renewed push for a medically supervised injecting centre to be established in Melbourne, amid concerns over continuing overdose deaths on the streets. Leading the campaign is Victorian Sex Party MLC Fiona Patten, who introduced a private member’s bill...
NSW Police Pursuit Results in Another Tragic Death
NSW police have engaged in the pursuit of a vehicle yet again, and this time the chase has led to the tragic death of a teen. Around 2 am last Friday, police tried to stop a ute in Kempsey. But when...
A Return to the Greens Radical Roots: An Interview with Left Renewal
Left Renewal is a group of left-leaning rank and file members of the NSW Greens party that caused a stir amongst the broader Australian Greens, when they announced their presence in December last year and declared their anti-capitalist agenda The arrival...
Australia Will Finally Ratify Law Against Torture
A group of up to 20 teenagers, who are being held in the Grevillea Unit of Victoria’s Barwon prison, rioted on Monday night. The youths have been placed in the unit of the adult prison due to the rioting that’s...
Stop Trying to Make Gay People ‘Straight’: An Interview with Brave Network’s Nathan Despott
The Victorian government has set up a new health complaints watchdog. The Health Complaints Commissioner has the power to place temporary or permanent bans on unethical health providers, and this will include practitioners of gay conversion therapy. The legislation that gives the...
