The Forgotten Third: Men Who Suffer Domestic Violence
By Sonia Hickey What if I told you that a friend turned up on my doorstep last night: bruised, covered in bite marks and scratches, shaking, and soaking wet from a long walk in the rain. A victim of domestic...
Police Troll Facebook Page
A Facebook page, operated by NSW MP David Shoebridge, has come under fire from the New South Wales police and Drug Free Australia for telling followers which train stations sniffer dogs are patrolling. The Sniff Off Facebook page, which has...
Minister Rejects Justice Reinvestment
Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan has rejected calls for an overhaul of the prison system, reiterating his view that imprisonment is an effective means of crime prevention. Mr Keenan was responding to a Red Cross-backed report which argues that Australia...
Drivers Getting the Message about Drink Driving
NSW police have praised drivers for the marked improvement in road safety behaviour over the recent Easter holiday season. Despite the strong police presence, the number of people detected for drink driving was significantly lower than last year. NSW police...
Federal Government’s New Watchdog: A Further Threat to Civil Liberties
Trade unions and civil liberties groups have raised concern over a recent proposal to restore power to the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). The Commission previously faced criticism for the “coercive power” it was able to exercise over union...
Lawyers Protecting the Environment, An Interview with Sue Higginson
Sue Higginson isn’t your typical city lawyer. An environmentalist and former campaigner, she’s been working at EDO NSW (formerly the Environmental Defender’s Office) for the last ten years, and is now the organisation’s CEO and Principal Lawyer. Before becoming a...
Proposed ‘Public Safety Orders’: Yet Another Mechanism of State Control
The NSW government has already introduced a range of laws removing basic democratic rights and safeguards, claiming those laws are necessary to fight against terrorism and outlaw motorcycle groups. Now, it wants to give police even greater control over members of...
“Disrespectful Behaviour” in Court to be a Crime
Defendants who refuse to stand in court, or yell at judges or magistrates, could face criminal charges from next month onwards, as the New South Wales Government moves to pass new laws against “disrespectful behaviour” in courtrooms. Last week, the...
Danger: ‘Superpredators’ Are Coming, Again!
As reported in an earlier blog, Victorian Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton claims that a rise in that state’s crime is largely attributable to the ‘Grand Theft Auto Generation’ – young criminals who mimic the stylised crimes in violent video...
Stopping Violence Against LGBTI Youth
By Matthew Drogemuller The Victorian Royal Commission Into Family Violence handed down 1900 pages of recommendations on Wednesday, earning praise from many front-line organisations. The Commission, launched 13 months ago and headed by Justice Marcia Neave of the Victorian Supreme...
