The Implicit Racism in the War on Drugs
Drug prohibition has been a global phenomenon for nearly a hundred years now. The 1925 Geneva Convention imposed international restrictions on the production and use of opium, coca and, as a late addition, cannabis. However, the war on drugs was declared...
‘We’re Sorry’: Premier Apologises for Past Criminalisation of Homosexuals
Bu Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has apologised to the hundreds of people charged under the state’s historic gay sex offence laws, and has proposed laws for those who were convicted to clear their records. Ms...
Welfare Recipients to be Drug Tested
Things are about to get tougher for welfare recipients under a new demerit point programme unveiled as a part of the federal budget this week. The scheme requires Newstart recipients to spend more time looking for work, and their benefits...
Crime and Incarceration: An interview with BOCSAR director Dr Don Weatherburn
NSW crime rates are at their lowest in over forty years, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) figures revealed last month. Crime across most of NSW was found to have either declined or remained stable in most major...
Higher National Wealth Does Not Mean Better Living or Lower Crime
Last year was the hottest year on record, and scientists are putting that down to human-caused climate change. The World Meteorological Organisation has announced that as we move towards the middle of 2017, the continuing record-breaking heat is leading us into “uncharted territory.”...
Aussie Sues Over Obese Airline Passengers
A NSW man is suing American Airlines after allegedly being ‘squashed’ during a long-haul flight from Australia to the USA. Michael Anthony Taylor, of Wollongong, is suing the airline for more than $100,000 in damages, saying he was crushed by...
Man Set to Die in Prison for Traffic Offences
Marshall Wallace is an Aboriginal man from a remote outstation in the Northern Territory, who recently moved to Mount Isa with his wife, so he could undergo chemotherapy. Two weeks ago, he was pulled over by police and found to...
Police Accused of Pressuring Alleged Victims to Withdraw Complaints
The Queensland auditor general has accused the state’s police service of unacceptable practices when collating crime statistics and even distorting crime rates by ‘soliciting’ victims to withdraw complaints. The auditor general’s report, tabled in parliament last week, found that the Queensland...
New Rules for Flying Drones
Drones are no longer just a toy for the rich and famous, nor are they something out of a futuristic spy film. These days, drones have become popular amongst a whole range of groups and agencies. NSW Police have piloted...
The Political Sacrifice of Schapelle Corby
Schapelle Corby’s parole period is coming to an end. After spending almost a decade behind bars in Indonesia on a conviction of trafficking cannabis - a drug that is now legal in eight US states - Ms Corby will finally be allowed...
