Students Sued Over Criticising University Policy
By Zeb Holmes Three students and two staff members from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and the University itself, could be liable for substantial damages if a case of racial discrimination against them is successful. The proceedings arose in...
Immigration Minister: Judge, Jury and Executioner
The Federal Government is about to start stripping those who they claim are involved in terrorism of their Australian citizenship. At the end of last year, Australia passed controversial legislation which authorises the Immigration Minister to revoke the citizenship of dual...
NSW Government to Scrap Successful Rehabilitation Program
The NSW government has decided to axe a rehabilitation program which has proven to be highly successful in addressing underlying issues and reducing reoffending. The Court Referral of Eligible Defendants into Treatment program (‘CREDIT’) has run on a trial basis...
The War Against Prison Contraband
The photos said it all in The Daily Telegraph’s exposé on the massive haul of contraband recently found in New South Wales correctional facilities: Ice, marijuana, steroids, weapons, tattoo guns, mobile phones and SIM cards, along with more than 8000...
Prison Administrators Fail to Prevent Violence
It is often said that people are sent to prison as punishment, not to be punished. But the rising incidence of injury and illness within prisons across Australia has renewed concerns about how our prisons are being administered. This week,...
Fu@#en Hell! … Can I be fined for swearing?
Police have an enormous amount of discretion when it comes to fining or sending people to court for swearing – as long as: the language would be considered offensive by a ‘reasonable person’, is uttered in a public place (including the...
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...
