Indigenous Incarceration: Australia’s Shame
Indigenous Australians are reported to be the most imprisoned race in the world, and the situation is only getting worse. The proportion of Indigenous inmates in NSW prisons has risen by 35% since the Coalition government came to power in...
Union Leader Encourages Illegal Strikes
The most powerful figure in the Australian union movement has no problem with members breaking “unjust laws” relating to industrial action. The new secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions,Sally McManus, made it clear she supports the decision of the...
“Come on and suck my d**k you little c**t”, youth justice officer tells child
Juvenile detention centres are places where troubled youths are sent as punishment, and where they can engage in counselling and programs to help get them back on the right path. They are certainly not places where punishment is meant to...
Are the Boys in Blue Really There to Protect You?
There’s a popular perception in mainstream society that the institution of the police was created to protect and serve the interests of the general population, and that officers on the beat are there to prevent crime and promote the interests of justice....
Victoria Police: A Law Unto Themselves
Kyle Stewart was due to appear before Sunshine Magistrates Court on March 8 to face a charge of unlicensed driving. He had been arrested and held in police custody, but officers neglected to take him to court that morning despite being required to...
Should Publishing ‘Fake News’ be a Crime?
The Australian Constitution explicitly guarantees just five rights: The right to vote (Section 41), Protection against acquisition of property on unjust terms (Section 51 (xxxi)), The right to a trial by jury for criminal cases in the higher courts (Section 80), Freedom...
Brisbane Grandmother to be Deported After 50 Years in Australia
Fifty-two year old Maryanne Caric has not left Australia since she arrived as a two-year old from the former Republic of Yugoslavia – not even for a holiday. She does not speak her native language of Croatian, only English, and...
Australia Should Follow Portugal’s Drug Decriminalisation Model
Portugal decriminalised the possession of all illicit drugs for personal use in 2001. If an individual is found with a permitted amount of cannabis, methamphetamine or heroin on them, they are not sent to court where they face the prospect...
Belle Gibson Guilty, But Not Deterred
The federal court delivered its judgment on disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson this week, finding she broke the law in “most but not all” of the allegations brought against her. In handing down the decision, Justice Mortimer found that Ms Gibson...
Less Cash for Centrelink Recipients: Government Hails Debit Card Trial a Success
The federal government has declared its twelve-month trial of ‘cashless’ welfare cards a huge success, after an evaluation found it has contributed to a reduction in alcohol consumption and gambling in rural communities. The government is so pleased with the...
