AIVL’s Melanie Walker on Coming Drug Decriminalisation and Treatment Access
ACT Labor MLA Michael Pettersson has yet again set his sights on reforming the Canberra community. This time it’s in the form of just introduced legislation that would see the decriminalisation of the personal possession and use of illicit substances...
New South Wales to Again Consider Voluntary Assisted-Dying Legislation
New South Wales Independent MP Alex Greenwich will be introducing new Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation to State Parliament, which is expected to be debated later this year. The Sydney MP says it’s time for New South Wales to follow the...
Attempted Murder of Refugee on Nauru Highlights the Failure of Government Policy
At around 11 pm on 9 February 2021, a car driven by a local ran down a Tamil refugee as he was riding a motorcycle on Nauru. The vehicle hit the back of the bike, knocking the Australian-held detainee off,...
NSW Police Officers Caught on Camera Assaulting 12-Year-Old Boy
NSW police has - yet again - been caught on camera phone footage administering rough justice. This time the incident involves undercover officers in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta meting out a bit of physical punishment on a First Nations...
Chief Magistrate Slams NSW Government Over Inadequate Funding
The Chief Magistrate of the New South Wales Local Court, Judge Graeme Henson, has slammed the state government for failing to provide sufficient funding to the busiest court system in the state. The Local Court of NSW deals with around...
Peter Dutton Accused of Pork Barrelling
Fresh allegations of Federal Government pork barrelling are fuelling calls for better accountability mechanisms and greater transparency in the way taxpayer money is allocated. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is the latest in the headlines, amid allegations he handpicked projects...
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 8 to 14 February 2021
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: When Does Conduct Relating to Prostitution Become a Crime? Police allege the defendants forced young women into sexual servitude, drugged and tattooed them with marks...
The Fear of Terrorism Does Not Justify the Wholesale Removal of Citizens’ Rights
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton slid through his ASIO Bill 2020 with bipartisan approval on the final sitting day of parliament last year. The usual suspect, the fear of terrorism, was cited as justification for the passing of the 90th...
David Shoebridge Runs for Federal Parliament on Platform of Social Justice
Political parties are gearing up for the next federal election. While the Morrison government’s surprise May 2019 win at the ballot seems like only yesterday, rumour is the Coalition is about to announce a spring 2021 vote, hoping to ride...
Future Generations Will Condemn the Drug War: Reform Is Urgent and Inevitable
Virtually all cultures in history have used psychoactive drugs. One of the few objects nomadic Indigenous Australians carried from one camp to the next was so-called “bush tobacco” or “pituri”, containing the psychoactive ingredient nicotine which reduces heat loss when...
