White Nationalism on the Rise in Australia?
On November 8, Australian Labor senator Sam Dastyari was buying drinks at the VU bar in Melbourne’s Footscray, when he was accosted by a group of men who surrounded him and started hurling racist abuse. And like it was a...
Dying with Dignity Laws Passed in Victoria
Historic voluntary euthanasia laws passed Victoria’s upper house after a 28-hour marathon sitting, and the state is expected to become the first to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill. The second reading resulted in 22 votes being registered in...
South Australia’s ‘Medicinal Cannabis Defence’ Hits a Roadblock
Independent public policy think tank Australia 21 released its latest report on drugs back in March. The document outlines thirteen key recommendations designed to minimise the harms associated with illicit substance use. Significantly, eleven of the sixteen participants who produced the report...
NSW Government Passes Thought-Crime Laws
The NSW upper house has passed a bill which will allow the Attorney General to apply to keep an inmate behind bars beyond the completion of their entire sentence if he thinks they may commit a terrorism-related offence sometime in...
Royal Commission Rejects Punitive Approach to Juvenile Justice
The final report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory was tabled in parliament on 17th November 2017. It represents an unequivocal rejection of the Territory’s ‘tough on crime’ approach to juvenile...
NSW Police Strip-Search Female Protesters
Two women protesting the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island have reported being arrested, conveyed to the police station and strip-searched before being released without charge. Susan Price and Rachel Evans were amongst around 200 people protesting Australia’s offshore...
NSW District Court Judge Mistakenly Considers Standard Non-Parole Period
In the early afternoon of 20 June 2013, Jason Potts walked down an alley beside a house situated on Chancery Street, Canley Vale in Sydney. The 40-year-old was accompanied by his 18-year-old son. The pair, who were both wearing gloves, jumped...
The British Empire’s Opium Trade Led to the War on Drugs
In the mid-18th century, China was exporting large quantities of highly sought-after commodities to European countries, such as porcelain, silk, tea and spices. By contrast, the goods produced in Europe were of little interest to the Chinese. Under the Qing...
There’s a Resounding Silence Over the Paradise Papers Revelations
The largest leak of financial information in history was made globally last week and the reaction has been lacklustre. The 13.4 million files that make up the Paradise Papers uncover the financial dealings of the ultra-rich and major corporations in...
Queensland Police Under Attack
The Queensland Police Union has called for an audit into security at police facilities across the state, after a spate of attacks on stations, officers and even their homes. The Courier Mail reported on November 7 that a series of...
