Should Mothers Who Kill Their Babies Ever Escape a Prison Sentence?
Raising a newborn is a tough job for any mum, but for some it is a particularly difficult struggle. Postnatal depression, also known as postpartum depression, is a condition that affects around 16% of Australian women after childbirth, manifesting in...
Should Publishing Revenge Porn be a Crime?
It might seem like an easy way to seek vengeance on an ex-lover, but a new parliamentary inquiry will investigate whether publishing ‘revenge porn’ should land you in prison. The New South Wales Parliamentary Committee into Law and Justice was...
Pets of Domestic Violence to Receive Funding
The issue of domestic violence has been making headlines of late, with many calling for increased funding for women’s shelters and community support services. But in the midst of all the media attention, we often forget about what happens to...
Would You Chip-In for a High Court Challenge Against Unfair Laws?
Do you need to go to court but can’t afford to pay for a lawyer? How about posting your cause online and asking people around the world to donate? Affordability of justice Many Australians would struggle to pay expensive legal...
Am I Guilty if I Wasn’t Directly Involved in a Crime?
If your friend carries out a bank robbery and you’re not directly involved in it, could you still be charged with the same offence? It might seem unfair, but in certain situations, the answer is yes - for instance, if...
Dawn Fraser: Was She Out of Line?
Dawn Fraser has been lauded as Australia’s greatest Olympian, having won an incredible 8 Olympic medals and 6 Commonwealth Games gold medals. Her achievements have landed her a special spot in the hearts of Australians around the nation, many of...
Government to Cut Welfare Payments to Mentally Ill
They are one of the most marginalised groups in society - mentally ill patients who are in care facilities because they are accused of committing crimes. Their conditions are so severe that they are thought incapable of pleading guilty or...
Cars of First-Time Drink Drivers to be Impounded
Under tough new drink driving laws, Victorian drivers who are caught with a blood alcohol reading higher than 0.10 and are first-time offenders could lose their cars to the impound lot for a month. The controversial laws are due to...
Criminal Justice System Struggles to Deal with Mentally Ill
The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling that an inmate on death row has the right to a hearing to determine whether he is “mentally ill” and should not therefore be executed raises questions about how we treat those with mental...
Top 10 Australian Prison Escapes
Since Australia’s colonial days, convicts have been escaping from custody using ingenious and risky methods – and despite heightened security measures in prisons these days, prison breaks certainly still occur. Great Escapes From a woman who commandeered a helicopter to...
