Peter Dutton Accused of Pork Barrelling
Fresh allegations of Federal Government pork barrelling are fuelling calls for better accountability mechanisms and greater transparency in the way taxpayer money is allocated. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is the latest in the headlines, amid allegations he handpicked projects...
The Fear of Terrorism Does Not Justify the Wholesale Removal of Citizens’ Rights
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton slid through his ASIO Bill 2020 with bipartisan approval on the final sitting day of parliament last year. The usual suspect, the fear of terrorism, was cited as justification for the passing of the 90th...
Future Generations Will Condemn the Drug War: Reform Is Urgent and Inevitable
Virtually all cultures in history have used psychoactive drugs. One of the few objects nomadic Indigenous Australians carried from one camp to the next was so-called “bush tobacco” or “pituri”, containing the psychoactive ingredient nicotine which reduces heat loss when...
Should Police Publicly Name Persons Who Are Suspected of Criminal Offences?
The long unsolved mid-1990s Claremont murders are indicative of a much wider crisis of often lethal, violent crimes perpetrated against women in the Australian setting. Over a 15 month period commencing in January 1996, three young women went missing whilst...
Operating a Financial Services Business Without a Licence in Australia
New South Wales Police believe that missing Sydney woman Melissa Caddick is still alive, despite the fact she has not been seen since she disappeared without a trace on 12 November 2020. Ms Caddick did not take her mobile phone,...
The Offence of Intimidating a Police Officer in New South Wales
It’s taken some years and several high profile scandals, but it seems the NRL has now firmly implemented its hard line policy against players who are alleged to have committed criminal offences. Latest case Brisbane Broncos player Payne Haas has...
An Australian First: Prison Officer Charged With Manslaughter Over Aboriginal Custodial Death
A 57-year-old Corrective Services NSW officer presented at Lismore police station on 5 February 2021 and was charged with manslaughter over the 15 March 2019 shooting death of Wiradjuri man Dwayne Johnstone, who was a detainee in the custody of...
Post-Coup Myanmar Mobilises for Democracy. But There’s no Respite for the Rohingya
In an early morning coup on 1 February, the Myanmar military - the Tatmadaw - reassumed complete control of the nation of Myanmar, after a little over five years since the southeast Asian country held its first democratic election in...
When Does Conduct Relating to Prostitution Become a Crime?
A man and a woman have been arrested and charged for allegedly forcing females aged between 17 and 24 years to work as prostitutes. Police allege the females were systematically plied with drugs, branded with tattoos marking ownership and not...
Victoria Criminalises Gay Conversion Therapy
It’s caused tension and heated debate amongst state politicians, but the bill banning LGBTIQ+ conversion therapy has passed Victoria’s Upper House, and will soon become law. The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill 2020 (Vic) makes it a criminal...
