The Dutch Turn Empty Prisons Into Homes for Asylum Seekers
Like in NSW, crime rates in the Netherland have been declining for years. But unlike us, the Dutch decline has corresponded with a fall in the prison population, rather than a steep rise resulting from increasingly punitive measures. The Dutch...
Your Rights When Approached by Police at Music Festivals
The hot weather is starting to kick in and with it, the festival season is upon us. Thousands of revellers are gearing up to take in their favourite live music acts, get down to some old skool beats, or spend...
Defendants With Disabilities Face Injustice At Every Level
The Australian inmate population is continuing its steep incline. In June this year, the number of adult inmates detained in the nation’s correctional facilities rose to 41,204, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. This marks a 7 percent increase...
Tough New Laws for Child Sex Offenders
The Federal government has announced tough new laws for sex-offenders - purported to be the harshest since the establishment of the Criminal Code Act in 1995. The proposed legislation, called Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Crimes Against Children and Community Protection...
Mothers Avoid Prison for Horrific Crimes Against Their Kids
There’s a petition circulating around Australia right now, protesting the seemingly lenient sentences given to two mothers who committed horrific crimes against their children. Both have had extensive media coverage - mainstream and social. The two cases causing concern A...
Stop Murdering Drug Users: An Interview with Harm Reduction Advocate Pascal Tanguay
At 8pm on Thursday night, Catholic leaders across the Philippines rang their church bells simultaneously for five minutes to honour those who have died during president Rodrigo Duterte’s “reign of terror.” The ritual will take place for the next 40 days and...
WA Considers Separating from the Rest of Australia
Western Australia has long debated whether to withdraw from federation, and the issue is once again on the agenda. At the WA Liberal party state conference on September 3, members voted in favour of a motion to investigate whether to...
Lack of Treatment Leads to Reoffending
The Victorian prisoner population has been on the rapid increase since the late 1990s. In July 1998, there were 2,876 adult prisoners in the state’s correctional facilities, whereas in July this year, there was 7,152 inmates, according to Corrections Victoria figures....
Medicinal Cannabis for the Elderly: An Interview with Canna Nanna Karen Burge
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Special Access Scheme (SAS) is a formal arrangement that allows patients to import unapproved therapeutic goods into the country. There are two main pathways to access imported medicines via this scheme: category A and category B....
Dutton Claims Lawyers Who Represent Asylum Seekers for Free Are “Un-Australian”
Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton announced on August 28 that 70 asylum seekers were being issued with new “final departure” visas. These people had their fortnightly welfare payments cut off, and were given three weeks to vacate their accommodation. The move...
