Plan to Protest? Expect Nerve Damage
Australian Police have been adding Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) to their law enforcement arsenal, a move which has raised concerns amongst health experts, civil rights advocates and those who feel the ability to protest is an important part of...
Legal Aid in Crisis: 45,000 Forced to Represent Themselves in Court
The Law Council of Australia has created a campaign called ‘Legal Aid Matters’, aiming to pressure governments into providing sufficient funding for legal aid services. The Council says: “At least 45,000 Australians have been forced to represent themselves in court,...
Children to Face a Fortnight of Police Questioning
The Baird government, having just passed laws giving police unchallengeable power over the movement of individuals, are now proposing laws which allow police to detain and question young people for up to a fortnight, without charging them with any offence....
Australian Government Shuts Journalists’ Mouths
World Press Freedom Day was celebrated on May 3, marking the 250th anniversary of the world’s first freedom of information law, which came into effect in Sweden and Finland. And just last year, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that the...
Bank Error in Your Favour: Go to Jail or Collect $4.6 Million?
In the game of Monopoly, one of the Community Chest cards says: “Bank Error in Your Favour, Collect $200.” But, unfortunately, life is not always like Monopoly, as Sydney woman Christine Lee found out this week when she was arrested...
Police Commissioner Charged with Perverting the Course of Justice
Former Northern Territory Police Commissioner John Roberts has appeared in Darwin Local Court via video link from his hometown of Perth, accused of Perverting the Course of Justice. The case will return to court in early July, and Roberts’ request...
Facebook Removes Police Support Page After NSW Police Force Complains
A Facebook page set up to support mentally ill police officers and their families has re-branded and returned to Facebook after being shut down. The original page, called the ‘Forgotten 300’, was removed by Facebook several weeks ago after the...
Police May Soon Conduct ‘Random Text Checks’
I don’t know about you, but to me the word ‘Textalyzer’ conjures up intimidating images of Arnold Schwarzenegger at his menacing best in ‘The Terminator’. In New York, road safety authorities are hoping that drivers who text will feel the...
Push to Ban Wicked Campers
Two NSW local governments are pushing to ban ‘Wicked Campers’ from their roads, claiming the graffiti-style slogans are overly offensive. The campers have caused quite a stir in recent years, displaying provocative phrases like: ‘Fat girls are easier to kidnap’, ‘To...
Police More Interested In Manufacturing Offences than De-Radicalising Youth
Law enforcement agents conducted yet another high-profile anti-terrorism operation recently, this time raiding the home of a 16-year old boy in Auburn last Sunday night. Details of the allegations were released on Monday morning, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting...
