Are All Body Modifications Legal in Australia?
From horn implants to split tongues and scrotal injections - extreme forms of body art, sometimes called ‘body modifications’, are becoming increasingly popular and gaining greater social acceptance. But Australian law doesn’t seem to be keeping up with changing attitudes...
Child Sexual Abuse and Trafficking are Prevalent in Australia
When you hear about child trafficking and child exploitation, you tend to think of poorer nations, particularly those in Asia that have long been well-known for both. But a new Australian report suggests that it’s more prolific here than most...
The Australian Constitution Does Not Protect Our Rights
The AFP raids last year brought the issue of press freedoms front and centre. The bushfires led to heated debate over the potential for a class action against the government’s climate inaction. And concerns over the right to privacy have...
Australian Privacy Laws Must Be Strengthened
The Department of Human Services fields thousands of requests for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) data from state and federal policing agencies each year, complying with the vast majority of them. The information released can, if...
What Are State of Emergency Powers In New South Wales?
As of last Friday, there were still over 50 bushfires raging in NSW and Victoria. Properties were lost to the Clear Range bushfire on the south coast of NSW over the weekend. And the ACT declared a state of emergency...
Too Little, Too Late? Morrison Will Mourn Bushfire Victims
The year 2019 will be forever remembered as the year Australia burned. In the worst fire season for many years, fires have torn across the country for several months. Climate change debates have raged, and fingers pointed at our leaders...
Catholic Church Continues to Silence Alleged Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
A Catholic priest from the Lismore diocese in Northern New South Wales is fighting the church over sexual abuse he allegedly suffered as a 12-year old altar boy. First case of a priest suing the Catholic Church The case is...
Which Crimes Are Most Frequently Detected in Australia?
The common populist phrase ‘if you do the crime, you should do the time’ suggests that those who commit criminal offences should be caught and prosecuted – regardless of how trivial or outdated the offence may be, or how futile...
One-Third of People in Prison Have Not Been Found Guilty
The most recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the nation’s prison population now officially stands at 43,028 inmates; a figure that is less than it was the previous year, albeit by just one percent. However,...
Law Enforcement Integrity Commission Lacks Independence
Well before the creation of the ‘Super Ministry’ – the Department of Home Affairs – headed up by Peter Dutton, the government created a key anti-corruption body. The problem is that not many have heard of it until recently. Despite...
