“Fragile” Police Officer Avoids Prosecution After Bashing Homeless Men
Last week, the South Australian Police Ombudsman called for a constable’s police powers to be revoked in the interests of public safety. The recommendation was made in a report about the officer’s conduct during a violent assault on 5 December...
Hanson’s Speech Doesn’t Reflect What Australians Believe, or Does It?
There’s a racist in our midst, and she’s been here for quite some time. Pauline Hanson’s at it again, back in federal parliament and insulting most of the nation with her vitriolic speech. That’s except for the vocal minority who...
NSW Police Carry Out Hundreds of Illegal Searches for Firearms
Last week, an ombudsman report revealed NSW police have carried out hundreds of unauthorised searches under increased powers that allow them to search individuals who’ve been served with a firearm prohibition order (FPO) without a warrant. The new search powers...
People Power: Russian Drug Users Fight Government
Three drug user activists are challenging the Russian government’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs. The trio have filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), claiming Russia’s blanket ban on substitution treatments is an abuse of their...
W-18 and Fentanyl – Separating Fact from Fiction
On Monday, Tasmanian police put out a warning about a new synthetic drug - ten thousand times stronger than heroin – that could be coming the Apple Isle’s way. Known as W-18, reports state the drug has already been detected...
Indigenous Man Dies After Being Restrained by NSW Prison Guards
On December 29 last year, David Dungay, an Indigenous man from Kempsey in NSW, died in custody at Sydney’s Long Bay Correctional Complex in Matraville. The 26-year-old Dunghutti man was eating biscuits in the prison’s mental health unit, when he...
Motion Passed to End Sniffer Dog Operations and Introduce Pill Testing
Last Wednesday, an Australian Greens motion passed before the federal Senate calling on the Turnbull government to introduce a range of harm minimisation policies. These include the introduction of pill testing trials at this year’s upcoming festival season and the...
Judicial Appointments: Politics or Merit?
The appointment of Tim Carmody to the position of Queensland’s Chief Justice on 8 July 2014, was one of the most controversial decisions in Australia’s recent legal history. Carmody had previously held the position of Chief Magistrate of the Local...
Stop Arresting People for Drugs! Nimbin Locals Protest
On August 31 this year, another of Nimbin’s so-called “Lane Boys” was arrested at Nimbin police station under Strike Force Cuppa, a cross-border police investigation into the large scale supply of cannabis in the NSW Northern Rivers town. The 26-year-old...
Racial Imbalance in the NSW Judiciary
On April 26 this year, Victorian attorney-general Martin Pakula announced the appointment of Urfa Masood to the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. Ms Masood, who is of Sri Lankan background, began practising as a solicitor with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service...
