Don’t Throw Anything Incriminating Into Your Rubbish Bin
Back in 2002, residents of Portland in the US state of Oregon were questioning whether local police had the power to go rummaging through citizens’ bins looking for evidence of criminal activity, after trash had been left on the side...
It’s Time to Repeal Australia’s Discriminatory Transgender Laws
The majority of Australia’s same-sex marriage laws came into effect on December 9 last year, which meant LGBTIQ members of the community were finally able to get their partnerships legally solemnised as of January 9, due to the 30 day waiting period...
Australia to Implement Protections Against Prisoner Abuse
After signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in 2009, the Australian government finally ratified the international treaty on December 15 last year. The nation is now obligated to enhance oversight in its places of detention to prevent the...
Informed Public Prefers Rehabilitation Over Punishment
Politicians often invoke ‘tough on crime policies’ to win votes, and mainstream media outlets frequently publish sensationalised and highly misleading crime reports to muster an audience. The popularist rhetoric invoked by these power structures is often designed to create hysteria,...
Religious Exemption Laws: An Interview With Professor Marion Maddox
Philip Ruddock’s inquiry into whether Australian laws adequately protect religious freedoms began last Wednesday. Malcolm Turnbull announced the controversial review in late November, in response to the concerns of his colleagues and ‘No’ voters over same-sex marriage laws. The expert panel assisting Ruddock...
Mainstream Media Normalises Vigilantism
In a media ‘exclusive’ this week, 7 News profiled a nationalist organisation called United Patriots Front (UPF) and its plans for blatant vigilantism on the streets of Victoria. Channel 7 painted a glowing portrait of the group as ‘patriots’ who...
NSW Drivers Will Be Tested For Cocaine
With the New South Wales road toll at its highest in eight years, the state government is introducing tough new measures including doubling the number of mobile drug tests (MDTs) and adding cocaine to the list of tested substances. 397...
The Top Five Australian Crime Films
Australian cinema has a long history of producing raw and brutal films. And none more so, than those that explore criminal conduct. It could even be said that the outlaw defines the zeitgeist of our colonial times. Perhaps part of...
1984: Dystopian Prophecies Become Reality
The week after Donald Trump’s inauguration in January last year, George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four became Amazon’s number one selling book. Penguin Books had to order a reprint of 75,000 copies to keep up with the increase in demand. It seemed people...
Medical Marijuana Innovation: An Interview With Andrew Kavasilas
In late 1930s Australia, dozens of cannabis-based medicines were widely available, either by prescription or over-the-counter. One of the most popular was Dr J Collis Browne’s Chlorodyne, which was a preparation made from Nepalese cannabis resin. When a Victorian MP...
