The US-Australia Military Alliance Serves Washington’s Interests, Not Ours
This nation’s alliance with the US is often considered to guarantee Australian security. But the foundation of this strategic relationship, the 1951 ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, United States) Treaty, provides no such assurance that Washington would step in to support us...
“Vote No to Referendum”, Say Grassroots First Nations, “We Deserve More than a Voice”
This 26 January marked 235 years since the British ships first docked at Kamay-Botany Bay with the intent of invading the continent today referred to as Australia, under the pretext of the doctrine of terra nullius, when clearly there were...
Enshrine Protest in Law as Our Future Depends on It: Shoebridge on Protecting the Right
Human Rights Watch began the year with the release of its World Report 2023, in which it critiqued the disproportionate punishment the NSW anti-protest regime, which was established last April, results in for those who partake in demonstrating “without permission”. Indeed, 2022...
Labor to Reintroduce Alcohol Bans in Remote Indigenous Communities
It seems that in recent times, our prime minister has taken a leaf out of his predecessor’s book in terms of social justice issues, sadly adopting similar positions in terms of human rights abuses as well as populist, knee-jerk reactions...
The Offence of Taking or Being Carried in a Conveyance Without the Owner’s Consent
Four men suspected of being part of a criminal group have been charged with a string of offences over an alleged police on the Northern Beaches of Sydney involving a utility taken without the owner’s consent. Police say they were...
The Offence of Contravening a Court Suppression or Non-Publication Order in NSW
The very real impact and influence of media reporting and social media commentary upon high profile criminal trials in the past couple of years has led Victorian criminal defence lawyers to apply to have evidence withheld from the public ahead...
Australia Again Misses Deadline on OPCAT, the UN Rights Treaty to Protect Detainees
Australia has again missed its deadline for implementing an international anti-torture protocol that the nation agreed to comply with in December 2017. The deadline, last Friday, 20 January 2023, was actually the third such deadline the country has missed in...
The History of Murder: The Most Serious Offence in Criminal Law
Since the beginning of recorded law, the offence of murder has been seen as the most serious of crimes, with the intentional taking of another’s life considered at least as heinous than any other human act. Despite how seriously it...
Father of Two Shot Dead by NSW Police Officer
An internal investigation is underway into the actions of police officers stationed at the small town of Tenterfield in Northern New South Wales, after a man was shot dead there earlier this week. The State Crime Command (SCC) will conduct...
Australian Police Continue to Apply Prone Restraint Despite Multiple Deaths
The prone position involves a person lying face down on the ground. Police and corrections officers the world over apply the prone restraint when they’re trying to subdue an individual. And the use of this position during such episodes, does result...
