News Category: National

Morrison

Skewed Priorities: Morrison Promises Billions to Australian Special Forces

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Prime minister Scott Morrison announced on 12 August at southwest Sydney’s Holsworthy army barracks that the government will be investing $3 billion in cutting edge military equipment for the nation’s special forces over the next 20 years. The PM said the move will enhance responses to both international and domestic security threats, while defence minister …
Cardinal George Pell

George Pell’s Appeal Against Convictions for Child Sexual Abuse Fails

By ▪︎ & ▪︎

A majority of a panel of Supreme Court justices has rejected the appeal by George Pell against his convictions for child sexual abuse. The decision means that Mr Pell, who has already spent 24 weeks in prison, has been ordered to serve a full term of six years in prison, although he will be eligible …
Jock Palfreeman

Jock Palfreeman on His Denial of Parole & Rights Advocacy in a Bulgarian Prison

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The Sofia City Court denied Jock Palfreeman parole on 17 July. Bulgarian Judge Nikolay Mladenov rejected the Sydney man’s bid for parole, in a decision that many believe was motivated because of his prisoners’ rights advocacy. The 32-year-old Australian is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence in Bulgaria over a 2009 murder conviction. The …

Domestic Violence: A Red Flag for Other Violent Offending

By ▪︎ ▪︎

As Police unravel the story behind Sydney woman’s Michaela Dunn’s murder, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller mentioned to press earlier this week that the alleged perpetrator Mert Ney “had some domestic violence issues linked back to his family, that again, were not significant or serious injuries . . . but if you look …
Morrison

“Fair Go”: Morrison Moves to Bust Unions to the Detriment of All Workers

By ▪︎ ▪︎

The Arbitration Court ruled to adopt a 40 hour working week for all Australians, as of January 1948. Then ACTU president Percy Clarey told the Age that an increase in production was likely to result from the change, as was seen after the drop in weekly hours down from 48 hours to 44 in 1927. …
Socialist Alliance’s Rachel Evans

NSW Police Strip Search Activists to Intimidate: An Interview With Socialist Alliance’s Rachel Evans

By ▪︎ ▪︎

These days, a commuter disembarking at Central Station during afternoon peak hour can face the prospect of being ordered by police to step behind a screen and remove their clothes, following a positive indication from a drug detection dog. NSW police setting up screens to conduct strip searches at Sydney’s main train station is by …
Google home

Thinking of Getting a Digital Assistant Device? Think Again

By ▪︎ & ▪︎

According to recent data, nearly 6 million Australians own digital assistant devices (DADs) like Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Amazon Echo. And it’s easy to understand why – for as little as a couple of hundred dollars, these cool little gadgets can accurately answer almost any question you can think of. They can make play …
Sydney city

“Shoot Me in The F***ing Head”: Knife Attack in Sydney CBD

By ▪︎ ▪︎

It has been reported that at around 2pm this afternoon, a man walked along York Street in the Sydney CBD armed with a knife before stabbing a woman, after which he was subdued by members of the public. Video footage shows the man climbing on top of a Mercedes Benz station wagon at the corner …
Sex work

Decriminalised: The NSW Laws Governing Sex Work

By ▪︎ ▪︎

NSW was the first jurisdiction in the world to decriminalise adult sex work. And the outcomes have been lauded globally. Indeed, in a 2016 report, the NSW government stated that decriminalisation is the best way to ensure sex worker safety and maintain transparency within the industry. The process of decriminalising adult sex work in this …
Transgender symbol

Transgender Woman Complains Against Beauticians Who Refused to Wax Her Crotch

By ▪︎ ▪︎

In recent weeks, the Victorian Government has reintroduced a bill to Parliament which would make it easier for people to change the gender recorded on their birth certificate to male, female or any other gender descriptor of their choice. The Government says the reform is aimed at rectifying laws which provide that Victorians can only …