Male Suicide – Australia’s Hidden epidemic
By Sonia Hickey One researcher says: “The breach between what we know and what we actually do, is lethal.” He’s talking about male suicide. The Australian Psychological Society estimates that close to 80% of all suicides in this country are...
Human Rights in Australia: Time for a Change?
By Sonia Hickey Being detained and questioned, or having your phone lines tapped because intelligence agencies are gathering information sounds like a scene out of a blockbuster movie, right? Cue Tom Cruise operating some sophisticated futuristic technology, and we’re all...
The Death of Australia’s Liberal Democracy
Many of us recently awoke to news of another terrorist attack - this time in Lahore, Pakistan. It was one of many attacks to shake the world in recent months, including bombings in Istanbul in October and the Brussels attack...
Human Rights Watch: An Exclusive Interview with Elaine Pearson
Director of Human Rights Watch Australia, Elaine Pearson, is frank in her assessment of our human rights situation: “I think the sad reality is that we’re no longer a leader on human rights, although I think in certain times we...
The Wealthy and Powerful Getting Away with Tax Fraud
In case you missed it, a leak of data from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca has allegedly exposed wealthy individuals, including public officials, hiding their money in offshore companies to avoid tax. The ‘Panama papers’ contain information about more than...
The Forgotten Third: Men Who Suffer Domestic Violence
By Sonia Hickey What if I told you that a friend turned up on my doorstep last night: bruised, covered in bite marks and scratches, shaking, and soaking wet from a long walk in the rain. A victim of domestic...
Minister Rejects Justice Reinvestment
Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan has rejected calls for an overhaul of the prison system, reiterating his view that imprisonment is an effective means of crime prevention. Mr Keenan was responding to a Red Cross-backed report which argues that Australia...
Lawyers Protecting the Environment, An Interview with Sue Higginson
Sue Higginson isn’t your typical city lawyer. An environmentalist and former campaigner, she’s been working at EDO NSW (formerly the Environmental Defender’s Office) for the last ten years, and is now the organisation’s CEO and Principal Lawyer. Before becoming a...
Danger: ‘Superpredators’ Are Coming, Again!
As reported in an earlier blog, Victorian Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton claims that a rise in that state’s crime is largely attributable to the ‘Grand Theft Auto Generation’ – young criminals who mimic the stylised crimes in violent video...
Stopping Violence Against LGBTI Youth
By Matthew Drogemuller The Victorian Royal Commission Into Family Violence handed down 1900 pages of recommendations on Wednesday, earning praise from many front-line organisations. The Commission, launched 13 months ago and headed by Justice Marcia Neave of the Victorian Supreme...
