Police Name and Shame Child Suspects on Facebook
Northern Territory police recently published the photographs and names of two boys aged 11 and 14 on their official Facebook page, advising followers that the boys are “wanted for questioning in relation to recent unlawful entries” and calling for information...
Firearm Amnesty: Over 13,000 Weapons Surrendered Across NSW
Australians have surrendered more than 400 firearms a day since July, as part of the latest national gun amnesty. The federal government implemented the scheme this year, promising tough penalties for anyone who fails to surrender illegal firearms. Police say...
Incorrect Identification Leads to Wrongful Conviction
A recent case in Western Australia has highlighted the consequences for innocent people of police incorrectly identifying suspects. The case involved a 24-year-old Indigenous man who was arrested thirteen years ago and charged with causing grievous bodily harm. Police mistakenly...
Adelaide Tackles Homelessness Head-On
Australian politicians have recognised that the issue of homelessness won’t just go away. While the number of people sleeping rough around Australia increases, the response by many politicians has been to push for new laws that criminalise homelessness and move rough...
Marriage Equality: An Interview with Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby
At 2.15 pm on Thursday, the High Court of Australia ruled against the challenge to the voluntary and non-binding marriage equality postal vote. As he sat in parliament, Malcolm Turnbull was told of the decision via text, which is a...
The Link Between Exposure to Lead and Crime
New research is attempting to piece together the complex relationship between environmentally induced chemical changes in the brain as a child and anti-social conduct as an adult, especially impulsive, violent crime. Adding to previous research, a recent peer-reviewed study published...
Residents Demand Safe Injecting Facility
The Melbourne suburbs of North Richmond and Abbotsford have long been the site of an extensive street drug market. And with it come the harms associated with an unregulated and criminalised drug trade. Between 2009 and 2015, there were 96...
It’s Time for an Australian Bill of Rights: An Interview with Senator Nick McKim
Gillian Triggs issued a stern warning when she finished her term as Australia’s Rights Commissioner earlier this year. Reflecting on her five years at the helm of the Australian Human Rights Commission, she lamented that “we are regressing on almost...
Protesters Storm Council Meeting Over Australia Day Ban
Protesters have stormed the Yarra City Council building to protest it’s decision to stop hosting Australia Day celebrations on the 26th of January – the day of the first fleet’s arrival in Australia. In the wake of debate about the...
Asylum Seekers Left Destitute at the Hands of Dutton
Stooping to a new low, the Turnbull government has begun cutting off the welfare payment to vulnerable asylum seekers and given these people three weeks to vacate their government-supported accommodation. Leaked documents from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) initially revealed...
