Turnbull’s New ‘Secrecy Laws’: Another Step Towards Totalitarianism
Following concerns by a consortium of media outlets that Malcolm Turnbull’s new secrecy laws will place journalists at “significant risk of gaol time” for simply doing their jobs, the United Nations has weighed in by saying the laws impose “draconian...
Facial Recognition Glasses: Next on the NSW Police Wish List?
In recent years, police in New South Wales have been the beneficiaries of hundreds of laws which increase state control at the expense of legal safeguards and protections - from laws which broaden police powers of arrest, to those which...
Mentally Ill Man Dies After Being Tasered by NSW Police
New South Wales police have launched an internal investigation into an incident last week whereby a mentally ill man died after officers tasered, peppered sprayed and held him on the ground. Police say the 30-year old was found at around...
Australian Businesses Must Inform Customers of Data Breaches
New laws came into effect on Friday making it mandatory for Australian businesses with a turnover of more than $3 million per year to inform customers of any “data breach” that puts them at risk of “serious harm”. Under the...
Calls to Prevent Corrupt Foreign Officials from Using Our Banks
British-American policy advisor Bill Browder has led calls for “rule of law” nations such as Australia to enact laws similar to the ‘Magnitsky Act’ in the United States, which make it harder for corrupt foreign state officials to launder embezzled...
Turnbull Refuses to Rebuke Colleague for Posting Anti-Muslim Videos
Malcolm Turnbull continues to refuse to rebuke Liberal Senator Jim Molan for posting two propaganda videos by the extreme right-wing anti-Muslim ‘Britain First’ on his Facebook page. The videos purport to depict Muslim men committing acts of violence on religious or...
Iceland Set to Criminalise Male Circumcision
A bill currently before the Icelandic parliament proposes to make it a criminal offence punishable by up to six years in prison to circumcise, or arrange for the circumcision of, a boy for non-medical reasons. Circumcision is the surgical removal of...
Professor Sacked after Reporting that Alcohol is the Most Harmful Drug
On October 29 2009, professor David Nutt was the chair of the UK government’s Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. However, on the following day, he was promptly sacked after publishing a paper that assessed and compared the harms...
Outrage Over French Sexual Assault Laws
A number of recent ‘age of consent cases’ in France have triggered public outrage and drawn international criticism of the somewhat murky child sex laws the nation has in place. In response, the Macron government is currently drafting a bill...
Police Get Extra Powers and Courts Close for Commonwealth Games
It has been reported that case-activity at Queensland’s second busiest courthouse will be significantly reduced during the Commonwealth Games in April, due to traffic and congestion expected on the Gold Coast. Courtrooms shut down Between April 3 and 15, only...
