The Perceived Link Between Islam and Terrorism: Misinformation and Media-Fuelled Hysteria
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “terrorist”? For many, the word ‘terrorist’ conjures up images of balaclava-wearing Muslim extremists carrying assault rifles and flags bearing Arabic writing. It’s a stereotype that has been fostered in part...
What Should Australia Do With Jihadists Who Want to Return Home?
Newspaper headlines in late 2014 mocked jihadis who indicated a desire to return to Australia after realising that the lifestyle was a lot harder than expected. After their iPods broke, the weather got colder and the living conditions got harsher,...
Should ASIO be Monitored to Protect the Community Against the Misuse of it’s New Powers?
The Abbott government’s recent crackdown on terrorism has prompted amendments to national security legislation, giving ASIO broad powers to monitor citizens and rendering them immune from prosecution in certain circumstances. Understandably, the amendments have left many questioning the extent of...
Police Listening to Phone Calls between Lawyers and Clients – The Erosion of Client Legal Privilege
Legal professional privilege, known in NSW as ‘client legal privilege’, has long been accepted as a central tenet of the justice system; providing that communications between lawyers and their clients should be exempt from disclosure. The privilege has been described...
Sydney Siege – How Was It Allowed to Happen?
The Sydney Siege has raised more questions than it has answered. If Man Haron Monis had survived Monday’s heinous crime, the charges he could have faced may have included detain for advantage, kidnapping, weapons charges, terrorism, murder - and the...
What is a Preventative Detention Order?
Being arrested and detained without being formally charged is considered a breach of human rights in many countries. But counter terrorism laws allow police in NSW to arrest and detain a person as a “preventative” measure against terrorism, without charging...
Will Captured Australian ISIS Fighters Get the Death Penalty?
Although the death penalty has been outlawed for many years in Australia, this doesn’t mean that Australians are immune from receiving the death penalty if they commit a crime overseas. This is particularly relevant for Australian nationals who may be...
Terror: On Words, Power and Perception
The stock-in-trade of the media is words. Sometimes dry, sometimes emotional, these words greet the public with an air of factual authority – whatever the platform. Recently in Australia reportage on the topic of ‘terror’ has been thought-provoking at times,...
Navy Officer Falsely Claims that ‘Men of Middle Eastern Appearance’ Assaulted and Threatened to Behead Him
A 41-year-old member of the Australian Navy claimed that he was attacked outside his home in Bella Vista, North-West Sydney, while wearing his navy uniform. He claimed his attackers were two men of middle-eastern appearance and that he suffered bruising...
Should ASIO be Trusted with even More Power?
The ASIO officer drew a ‘Y’ in the sand with a stick. He looked across at the 21-year-old university student and pointed to the intersection of the Y. He said: “We’ve got two choices. We can go down the difficult...
