Asylum Seekers Need Help: An Interview With RACS Solicitor Ben Lumsdaine
Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton announced in late May that 7,500 asylum seekers were being given until October 1 to lodge their protection visa applications, or they’d face deportation. He stated that the “game was up” for “fake refugees.” However, what...
‘Black Pete’ Christmas Tradition Is Dividing the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a tradition of white people dressing up in ‘blackface’ to celebrate Christmas. Black Pete is the character they’re portraying. His costume may also comprise exaggerated red lips, a curly afro wig, and huge gold earrings. At celebrations,...
Medicinal Cannabis Doctor Is Being Held Behind Bars on Remand
The benefits of medicinal cannabis have been widely recognised over recent years. Cannabis medicines have been used to ease the pain associated with chemotherapy, to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, as well as to reduce seizures in cases of...
Protecting Civil Liberties: An Interview With NSWCCL President Stephen Blanks
At the October 5 Council of Australian Governments meeting, state and territory leaders agreed that a new federal law should be established that would allow terror suspects to be detained for up to 14 days without any charges being brought against...
Criminal Lawyers Criticise New Guilty Plea Rules
The NSW government is introducing strict rules relating to guilty pleas which it says will increase the likelihood of defendants pleading guilty to criminal offences. The changes, which are expected to come into effect in April 2018, are aimed at...
Semi-Automatic Weapons: Another Step in the Militarisation of NSW Police
First published on 20 December 2017 As of last Monday, Sydneysiders will have to get used to seeing NSW police officers on city streets carrying military-style assault rifles. The move is just the latest counter terrorism and organised crime measure that’s...
Norway Is Decriminalising Drug Possession
The global shift towards a health-based approach to the use of illicit substances continues, as Norway becomes the first Scandinavian country to decriminalise the use of illegal drugs. The move is yet another admission that the almost fifty-year-old war on...
No More ‘Secret Confessions’, Cover Ups or Forced Celibacy
Removing the sanctity of the Catholic confessional and making celibacy voluntary are two of the 409 separate recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, as its final report aims to provide a “safer future...
Daily Telegraph Misrepresents Head Crown Prosecutor’s Comments
On 14 December 2017, the Daily Telegraph published a news article by crime editor Mark Morri and Janet Fife-Yeomans which claimed Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC issued a “blunt warning to colleagues to get tough on criminals”. According to...
Unaccompanied L-Plater Charged with Driving Under the Influence
A learner-driver is facing multiple charges including driving under the influence and unaccompanied after being pulled over by police on the Northern Rivers. The story so far Police signalled 23-year old Mr Squires to pull over after allegedly seeing him...
