My Health Record: A Further Erosion of Civil Liberties
The Turnbull government oversaw the 2015 implementation of a system that allows 21 government agencies warrantless access to all citizens’ metadata, while last year, it announced a national facial recognition system that will allow all citizens’ ID photos to be matched with...
Police Officers Not Disciplined Despite Endangering Victims
Concerns have re-emerged about Queensland police officers escaping discipline despite illegally accessing the personal information of individuals on a restricted police database. Information released under the state’s right to information laws reveals that of 59 officers investigated internally after illegally...
Cheating on Gambling in New South Wales
The New South Wales government strictly regulates gambling in our state. There are mountains of rules and regulations dictating when, where and how people are allowed to gamble. Those rules make it illegal to conduct a betting event without a...
NSW Police Force Ordered to Pay $124,000 over Brutal Arrest
New South Wales taxpayers will once again foot the bill after an officer unlawfully and brutally arrested a 17-year old outside a bakery at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains. A District Court judge has ordered the government to pay the...
The Bias in the Native Title System: An Interview with Barrister Tony McAvoy SC
Recent comments made by native title barrister Tony McAvoy SC regarding flaws in the native title system have caused quite a stir. As reported in the Guardian, the lawyer said that the system “embeds racism,” and contravenes the UN Declaration...
New Zealand Denounces Dutton’s Kiwi Deportation Program
New Zealand justice minister Andrew Little has condemned Australia’s deportation program, as “nebulous” and “airy fairy.” This is the policy that has seen an increasing number of Kiwis being sent to New Zealand for petty crimes, often after living the majority...
Calls to Close Display of Corpses in Sydney
Currently, there are 20 human corpses being exhibited in Sydney. This is despite widespread calls for the exhibition to be shut down because the human bodies are on display without the confirmed consent of the deceased and they’re also suspected...
Is the NSW Government Complicit in Animal Cruelty?
Two years ago, the NSW government promised to ban the greyhound racing industry after revelations emerged of appalling, systemic cruelty by trainers across the state, including live-baiting, mass killings and widespread mistreatment. The government later did “the mother of all...
What to Do if Falsely Accused of Sexual Assault?
High-profile cases such as the trial of Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes, the investigation of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and comedian Bill Cosby, and the prosecution of Australian entertainer Rolf Harris, along with the rise of the #metoo movement,...
Can I Change My Plea from Guilty to Not Guilty?
Defendants who are charged with criminal offences are often unsure as to how they should plead. This uncertainty may arise as a result of not fully understanding the essential elements (or ingredients) of the charges they are facing. They may...
