Islamophobia: An Interview with AFIC President Keysar Trad
Practising Muslims pray five times a day. It’s one of the five pillars of Islam, referred to as Salat. When they do so they kneel down and prostrate themselves, resting on a small mat and facing in the direction of Mecca:...
Decriminalising Medical Cannabis: An Interview with NSW Labor MLC Adam Searle
NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley introduced a game-changing medicinal cannabis bill before parliament on March 9, which has largely gone unnoticed. The legislation calls for the decriminalisation of possession of the medicine, as well as establishing “a lawful supply chain.” “We know that for...
The Sentencing Database: An Interview with NSW Judicial Commission CEO Ernest Schmatt
The Judicial Commission of NSW plays a key role in the running of this state’s justice system, providing ongoing educational information to judicial officers, while investigating complaints made against them. The commission is an independent statutory corporation established that was under the Judicial...
Democratising Science: An Interview with BioFoundry’s Meow
Biohacking is a rather recent phenomena. It’s a kind of do-it-yourself biotechnology that people are conducting in small labs outside the boundaries of universities and research institutions. A social movement where people are taking responsibility for biological breakthroughs themselves. Without the...
A Pioneer of Harm Reduction: An Interview with Dr Ingrid van Beek
There’s been a push from harm reduction experts to implement a system of pill testing at music festivals and nightclub precincts for years now. This evidence-based approach allows drug users to understand what they’re consuming and has been carried out in European...
Australian Black Panther Woman: An Interview with Activist Marlene Cummins
Marlene Cummins is Australia’s original Black Panther woman. Back in the early 70s, she joined the Brisbane chapter of the Australian Black Panther Party (ABPP) with the likes of Sammy Watson Jnr, Lionel Fogarty and Denis Walker.
Predicting and Preventing Crime: An Interview with CTDS’s Dr Roman Marchant
The future is now. Even before you move into your new model home, in that recently-designed outer suburb in metropolitan Sydney, big data is watching you. And it doesn’t need to monitor your movements, or even address your motives, it...
Keep Adani Out: An Interview with Wangan and Jagalingou Council’s Murrawah Johnson
The Adani Carmichael coal mine is a $22 billion dollar project that, if approved, will be built in the Galilee Basin, Queensland. If the Indian multinational manages to get approval, the mine will be the biggest in Australia, comprised of six...
Refugees On Sovereign Soil: An Interview with Koradji Aboriginal Tent Embassy’s Gabitja
The original Aboriginal Tent Embassy was founded on the lawns of what is now called old Parliament House in Canberra on Invasion Day, January 26 1972. Four Indigenous activists instigated the protest that’s still going strong 45 years later. These young men...
#ProtectJournalists: An Interview with Reporters Without Borders’ Delphine Halgand
Journalists often expose harsh realities to the general public, and this can rub certain people up the wrong way. Whether it’s reporting on corrupt politicians, investigating organised crime, or revealing the repressive practices of military forces: those targeted are rarely thankful...
