Interpol: Catching Criminals or Persecuting Scapegoats?
The International Criminal Police Organisation, or ‘Interpol’, is a police force recognised by the United Nations and established to stop globe-trotting criminals from evading reprisals. From political targets like Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to Osama Bin Laden, Interpol has been...
Bail Laws to Get Tougher for Suspected Terrorists
Regular readers of our blog will know that the NSW government has been changing the law on bail more frequently than most of us can keep up with. And now, the Baird government has announced that more changes are on...
Are We Being Scared Into Handing Over Our Rights?
Fearmongering is a useful political tactic for governments desperate to pass controversial laws which might otherwise be perceived as unjust or irrational. The creation of fear of a perceived enemy - whether communists, fascists or terrorists – has signified the...
Should Families of Dead Terrorists be Allowed Back to Australia?
The following is a text message received by Australian grandmother Karen Nettleton from her 14-year-old granddaughter Zaynab, a child bride whose husband was killed fighting for a terrorist organisation in Syria: “Hello Nana, how are you? My husband got hit...
RIP Freedom of Speech
Many Australians believe that we can freely express what we think, without fear of prosecution. Indeed, freedom of speech has been part of our democratic tradition for generations. But a string of recent laws have chipped away at our right...
Terrorism Suspects to Have Their Citizenship Revoked
Politicians and media outlets regularly tell us that terrorism is the greatest threat to our Australian values and lifestyle - despite the fact that terrorist attacks occur relatively infrequently compared with other criminal offences. Nevertheless, suggestions that we are at...
Should We Ban Suspected Jihadists From Using the Internet?
Following the death of 18-year-old Victorian Jake Bilardi in March, there has been a great deal of discussion amongst politicians and police about how we should prevent ‘impressionable’ young Australians from being swayed to join extremist terrorist groups. Now, Victorian...
The US Winds Back Mass Surveillance Laws
People living in the United States are said to be some of the most watched on the planet, with the National Security Agency (NSA) ramping up mass surveillance following the events of September 11, 2001. The nation’s willingness to monitor...
The Boston Bomber Death Penalty: Justice?
On 15 April 2013, a terrorist act took place that would alter the images that come to mind when we hear of the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed and hundreds were injured when two pressure-cooker bombs used exploded near...
Accessing Your Own Metadata: Ben’s Battle
We previously published a series of blogs about the Federal Government’s controversial new metadata laws, which were passed by the Senate in March. The Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Bill 2015 was premised on the notion that it...
