New Programme Helps Skilled Migrants Obtain Appropriate Work
Since the end of the second world war in 1945, about 7 million people from overseas have settled in Australia, around 18,000 of which are refugees. Many highly skilled workers struggle with language barriers and cultural differences, which can impede...
Double Jeopardy Laws in New South Wales
The principle of double jeopardy stipulates that a person cannot be tried twice over the same offence. The rationale is that a person who is acquitted after being put through the ordeal of a criminal trial should be able to...
Challenging Abuse of Police Powers: An Interview With Greens MLC David Shoebridge
The NSW police use of drug detections dog in public places without a warrant has been widely discredited in the public eye. The damning NSW Ombudsman report into the program was released as far back as 2006. NSW Greens MLC David Shoebridge...
Australia Accused of War Crimes in Afghanistan
Australian Defence Minister, Marise Payne, has defended Australian soldiers after internal reports suggest they have engaged in the “unsanctioned and illegal application of violence” in Afghanistan. SASR soldiers accused of heinous crimes Disturbing reports have surfaced from inside the Australian...
Pioneer Sex Worker Rights Activist Awarded Order of Australia
The governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, announced 1007 awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list on Monday. And in an Australian first, a leading sex worker rights activist has been made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO). Julie Bates...
Should the Public be Able to Elect and Dismiss Judges?
In NSW, magistrates and judges are appointed by the governor in council upon recommendation by the state’s attorney general. They may be considered for appointment by applying for a job vacancy or after being nominated by another party. In the...
Digital Driver Licences are On the Way
The NSW government plans to phase out plastic driver licences and replace them with digital ones, making the new version available on smartphones through the Service NSW app. It says digital licences will work the same way as current ones,...
Punishing Asylum Seekers: An Interview With Refugee Action Coalition’s Ian Rintoul
Australia ratified the UN Refugee Convention in 1954. But, despite the country having formally agreed to the terms outlined in the international agreement that protects refugees, the Turnbull government continues to deny people seeking asylum the basic rights the document...
Magistrate’s Rebuke of “Privileged” Drug Takers Was Misguided
Magistrate Robyn Denes chastised a number of young professionals from privileged backgrounds that appeared before her in Burwood Local Court on drug charges last week. The magistrate warned that these women can’t hide behind their “social fortune for too long.”...
Drug Driving Laws Criminalise the Legal Use of Cannabis
The Berejiklian government announced in January that NSW police are set to more than double the number of roadside drug tests they conduct from 97,000 to 200,000 a year by 2020. And along with more tests, another drug will be added...
