Ending Execution: An Interview with Reprieve Australia’s Julian McMahon
In the early hours of the morning on April 29 2015, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed by firing squad by Indonesian authorities. The two men were part of the Bali Nine: a group of Australians convicted of drug...
Priests Should be Prosecuted for Failing to Report Child Sexual Assault
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recommended that clergy who fail to report child sexual assaults disclosed during religious confessions should face criminal charges. The Commissioners heard evidence that confessions of child sexual abuse were...
Woman Convicted for Attempting an Abortion in NSW
A Sydney woman has been convicted of self-administering a drug in an attempt to terminate her 28 week pregnancy. Cue outrage – and let the chant of ‘her body, her choice’ ring loud and clear. But the important thing to...
Former Police Support Harm Reduction: An Interview with LEAHN’s Greg Denham
The 2017 National Drug Strategy was released last month. It provides a framework for preventing and reducing the harms associated with substance use. Since its first iteration in 1985, harm minimisation has formed the basis of Australia’s official policy. Harm minimisation is...
Judges Behaving Badly: Poor Judicial Temperament
‘Judicial temperament’ describes a judge or magistrate’s emotional responses within the courtroom and general attitude towards those within it, as well as to the law and legal process. A judicial officer with an good temperament is fair, patient, calm, unbiased, and...
Hanson’s Burqa Stunt – Justified or Offensive?
If you haven’t caught the story, Senator Hanson wore a full Burqa to question time in the Senate this week, calling for a ban on the Islamic dress. It’s not the first time Hanson has had ‘Banning the Burqa ’on...
Nimbin Locals Imprisoned for Selling Cannabis
Jurisdictions around the world are legalising cannabis. One in five US citizens now lives in a state where the recreational use of the plant is permitted. Uruguay changed its laws to allow marijuana use nationwide back in 2013. And Canada...
False Domestic Violence Complaints Ruin Lives
Domestic violence has reached epidemic levels in Australia. The figures show that on average, one person is killed every week at the hands of their current or former partner. Shelters, crisis services, and frontline community legal centres are stretched to...
MDT Set to Target Cocaine Users
The Australian federal government has been testing the nation’s sewage again in its continued effort to combat organised crime. The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program tests for levels of thirteen illicit and licit substances present in wastewater at treatment plants around...
NSW Premier Broadens Police Powers to Remove the Homeless
After nearly eight months of operation, Sydney’s 24-7 Street Kitchen and Safe Space was dismantled last Friday. The community of around 60 rough sleepers currently residing there left the camp, which was situated out the front of the Reserve Bank...
