With a UN Seat, Australia Needs to Rectify Indigenous Injustice
Australia won a seat on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on October 17. One of the five pillars of the Australian campaign for a position on the leading human rights body was a pledge to improve the rights of Indigenous peoples. This...
Our kids are being harassed, ‘blacklisted’, fined and locked up
Disturbing information emerged recently about the way the NSW government and police force are treating our children. Two million dollars in revenue New figures reveal the state government generated $2 million dollars last year from fines issued to children by police....
Report Recommends Increasing Penalties for White Collar Offences
A review of Australian corporations law has stated that punishments for many white collar crimes and regulatory breaches are too weak to act as a deterrent. The Financial System Inquiry was established by Financial Services Minister, Kelly O’Dwyer, who suggested that...
Manus Island: “a nation’s shame… f***ing disgraceful”
Following a chorus of international condemnation, Actor Russell Crowe’s recently made headlines blasting the Australian Government for its horrendous treatment of detainees on Manus Island, calling the situation “a nation’s shame” and “f***ing disgraceful”. The ensuing local mainstream media coverage...
Sydney Man Appeals Conviction for Swearing
A Sydney man was arrested for swearing at a NSW police officer, and is now fighting his Local Court conviction for using offensive language. When 29-year-old Filip Black was stopped by police, they asked him what he was doing in...
Turnbull’s Homelessness Scheme Will Do Nothing to Address the Problem
One out of every 200 Australians is homeless on any given night. The last available Census data found that in 2011, there were 105,237 people experiencing homelessness in Australia. This number had risen from 89,728 in 2006, marking a 17.3...
‘No’ Campaigners Fear Being Forced to Service Gay Weddings
Opponents of same-sex marriage are pushing for exemptions from discrimination laws which would require businesses to carry out services for gay weddings. The Coalition for Marriage claims that service providers such as bakers, caterers, florists and photographers are concerned about...
NSW Police Future Crime Program: An Abuse of Power
Since February 2000, NSW police has been carrying out a secretive program to prevent future crime that targets reoffenders and individuals police merely consider to have the potential to commit crimes. The Suspect Targeting Management Plan (STMP) was developed by the...
Domestic Violence Video Statements Aren’t Increasing Convictions
On June 1 2015, NSW became the first Australian jurisdiction to allow pre-recorded videos to be used as evidence in domestic violence cases. The Domestic Violence Evidence-in-Chief (DVEC) reforms allow the evidence in proceedings to be presented in either a video...
Are Your Household Appliances Spying on You?
Baby monitors, your fridge, TV and sport shoes could soon be the focus of new laws amid growing concerns of hacking which can lead to the unauthorised use of images, stalking and fraud offences. The federal government is considering legislation...
