RIP Press Freedom: PM Pressures ABC to Change Report About COVID-19 App
Last year, when the Australian Federal Police raided the home of journalist Annika Smethurst over a story she wrote about government plan to spy on ordinary Australians, and, days later, the Sydney offices of the ABC in relation to a...
COVID Commission’s Gas Fuelled Recovery Is Grounded in Climate Denial
The Morrison government has taken the moment the coronavirus lockdown has afforded the nation to present a somewhat strong proactive pandemic response front, while in the background, it’s simply forging ahead with its “business as usual” fossil fuel agenda. At...
China Continues to Detain Tibet’s Second Highest Leader 25 Years On
There are growing concerns that the Chinese government will move to appoint its own candidate for the next Dalai Lama: the Tibetan people’s most important spiritual leader. And these fears are warranted, as 25 years ago this month, Beijing disappeared...
Government Forces Messaging Platforms to Surrender Information
Social media has allowed us to connect with friends and family during these difficult and physically isolating times, but it has also given many of us a false sense of privacy and security when using platforms such as Facebook Messenger....
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 18 to 24 May 2020
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: The Use of ‘Ice’ and the Criminal Justice System There are circumstances where drug addiction can be taken into account when determining the appropriate sentence....
Government Moves to Silence Immigration Detainees Under Cover of COVID
Federal parliament convened for three emergency sitting days last week to deal with legislation that couldn’t wait until after the COVID-19 pandemic. And the Coalition decided a bill allowing for the confiscation of the mobile phones of refugees in detention...
Teen Fined $1,000 for Not Breaking the Law
Public pressure is mounting over the heavy-handed actions of New South Wales police officers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen them handing out tens of thousands of dollars in fines, with the latest being to a teenager who had...
Officer Who Punched Teen in the Head Cleared of Misconduct
Questions are being as a result of Victorian Police refusing to release details that would explain why a female police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing after punching a 15-year old girl in the head at a pro-marijuana rally....
COVID-19 Policing: Confusion, Wannabes and Authoritarian Creep
The main NSW COVID-19 public health order was amended on 14 May, so that as of the following day the ban on outdoor gatherings was lifted from more than two to more than ten, and the prohibition on being outside...
Victorian Government Wants COVID-19 Powers to be Permanently Expanded
Under its original strategy to enforce public health laws which were created at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Victorian Government expanded the powers of ‘protective services officers’ (PSOs) on an emergency basis. Now, they want those powers not...
