AOD Media Watch: Correcting Mainstream Media Misinformation About Drugs
On March 31 this year, an opinion piece appeared in the Age with the headline, The zombie apocalypse is here and none of us are safe. The author Wendy Squires relates a confrontation she had with a man, who’d allegedly...
The Dutch Turn Empty Prisons Into Homes for Asylum Seekers
Like in NSW, crime rates in the Netherland have been declining for years. But unlike us, the Dutch decline has corresponded with a fall in the prison population, rather than a steep rise resulting from increasingly punitive measures. The Dutch...
Your Rights When Approached by Police at Music Festivals
The hot weather is starting to kick in and with it, the festival season is upon us. Thousands of revellers are gearing up to take in their favourite live music acts, get down to some old skool beats, or spend...
Defendants With Disabilities Face Injustice At Every Level
The Australian inmate population is continuing its steep incline. In June this year, the number of adult inmates detained in the nation’s correctional facilities rose to 41,204, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. This marks a 7 percent increase...
WA Considers Separating from the Rest of Australia
Western Australia has long debated whether to withdraw from federation, and the issue is once again on the agenda. At the WA Liberal party state conference on September 3, members voted in favour of a motion to investigate whether to...
Dutton Claims Lawyers Who Represent Asylum Seekers for Free Are “Un-Australian”
Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton announced on August 28 that 70 asylum seekers were being issued with new “final departure” visas. These people had their fortnightly welfare payments cut off, and were given three weeks to vacate their accommodation. The move...
Police Name and Shame Child Suspects on Facebook
Northern Territory police recently published the photographs and names of two boys aged 11 and 14 on their official Facebook page, advising followers that the boys are “wanted for questioning in relation to recent unlawful entries” and calling for information...
Firearm Amnesty: Over 13,000 Weapons Surrendered Across NSW
Australians have surrendered more than 400 firearms a day since July, as part of the latest national gun amnesty. The federal government implemented the scheme this year, promising tough penalties for anyone who fails to surrender illegal firearms. Police say...
Adelaide Tackles Homelessness Head-On
Australian politicians have recognised that the issue of homelessness won’t just go away. While the number of people sleeping rough around Australia increases, the response by many politicians has been to push for new laws that criminalise homelessness and move rough...
Residents Demand Safe Injecting Facility
The Melbourne suburbs of North Richmond and Abbotsford have long been the site of an extensive street drug market. And with it come the harms associated with an unregulated and criminalised drug trade. Between 2009 and 2015, there were 96...
