Join the Walk for Justice: RACS Director Sarah Dale on the Importance of Pro Bono Work
Pro bono is taken from the Latin phrase “pro bono publico”, which means “for the public good”. These days, pro bono legal work commonly refers to free legal services, or those provided at a significantly reduced cost, with no expectation...
As Governments Clamp Down on Protest, Climate Defenders Are Using New Tactics
Over the autumn of 2022, climate defenders taking direct action on the streets to demand that the NSW government act on the global heating emergency were transformed into public enemy number one, even though they’d recently been part of a flourishing...
Welcome to the Australian War Economy, Where Offense Is the New Defence
After last month’s AUKUS announcement, it’s been clear that the nation’s global military stance is shifting dramatically. In its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, Australia, a middle power, is no longer solely concerned with its defence, but rather it’s now becoming a...
Bigoted White Man’s Opinion Reigns Supreme, as Black Sovereigns Silenced on Voice
For weeks the voice of federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton has drowned out all others in relation to the coming referendum, which will put to the nation, whether a constitutionally-enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament should be established. During a 5 April...
Labor Is Expanding and Consolidating Cashless Welfare, Not Ending It as Promised
Slight of hand politicking has fast become Labor’s stock-in-trade. It promised climate reform and delivered a rejigged 2016 fossil fuel industry-friendly Abbott initiative, while on refugees, it provided pledged permanent protection, but only to 19,000 of 31,000 individuals living in the community....
Witness J: The Transcript of Australia’s Most Kafkaesque Trial Has Finally Been Released
ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum last week ordered the redacted publication of the previously withheld transcript relating to the 2018 secret trialling of Witness J, a former Australian military intelligence official, who was referred to as Alan Johns during court proceedings,...
Inquiry into Extralegal Nature of Dan Duggan’s US Extradition Warrants Stay, Lawyer Says
The proposition is that former US Marine Corps fighter pilot Daniel Duggan is currently being held in Lithgow Correctional Centre pending extradition to the US, as the Australian citizen was “unlawfully lured” back to this country by ASIO, which was...
The National Digital ID Will Fail Just Like the Others, Says Dataveillance Expert Dr Roger Clarke
Both major parties in Australia have been keen to establish national identity schemes going back decades. However, the public has consistently rejected them, especially once the privacy-minded inform the broader constituency of their potential to undermine rights and enhance social...
It’s Time to Reform Vaping Laws Through a “Harm Reduction Lens”
Right now, in NSW, an adult can buy some cigarettes at a shop and puff away to their ailing heart’s content. But if they’d prefer legal nicotine vaping liquid, a much healthier alternative, they need to obtain a doctor’s prescription....
Political Voices Unite Against Four-Year-Long Detention of Assange
Independent member for Clark Andrew Wilkie has been leading the Australian parliamentary campaign to see the persecution of Australian publisher Julian Assange brought to an end, even before his slow torture remanding in Belmarsh prison commenced four years ago. The Bring...
