The Coalition’s Silence on Treaty: An Interview With Indigenous Rights Activist Lynda-June Coe
Noongar man Ken Wyatt made history last week when he was sworn in as the nation’s first Indigenous affairs minister. First Nations organisations across the country said that the appointment was one that spoke of hope. This historic first also...
There Are Now More Female than Male Lawyers in Australia
With the announcement of Belinda Rigg SC on her appointment as Senior Public Defender for New South Wales comes some good news for women in the legal profession. New figures who that as a whole, the profession is making a...
Morrison’s Election Has Sparked an Outbreak of Attempted Suicides on Manus
After being detained for six years in a foreign country by Australia, the around 550 asylum seekers and refugees on Manus Island are now not only part of this nation’s consciousness, but, despite the Coalition’s best efforts, they’re also a...
Victims of Child Sexual Abuse Can Now Sue the Church
The ‘Ellis defence’ once prevented victims of child sexual abuse from suing unincorporated organisations such as the Catholic Church. But as of 1 January 2019, legislation came into effect which requires those organisations to nominate a defendant with sufficient funds...
Strip Searches: State-Perpetrated Sexual Acts
NSW police use of strip searches hasn’t just risen in recent times, but almost become routine. Over the four years ending in June 2018, its general use rose by 47 percent, while last year, 11 percent of persons in respect...
Passive Smoking Defence Exposes Flawed Drug Driving Regime
Magistrate David Heilpern has delivered yet another landmark ruling that reveals the shonky logic underlying the drug driving regime in NSW. The Lismore magistrate accepted last month that a woman tested positive to cannabis because of passive smoking. Nicole Spackman...
Drug Dogs Are No Deterrent & Increase the Harm: An Interview With RMIT’s Dr Peta Malins
These days, commuters alighting the train of an early evening at Sydney’s Central station can be confronted by police with drug dogs. And if a canine makes an indication about one of the citizens on the platform, that individual can...
Mother Imprisoned for Giving Her Kids Sleeping Tablets
An Adelaide mother who gave her children chocolate milk laced with sleeping tablets has been sentenced to a full term of three years in prison with a non-parole period of 15 months. The 47-year old mother of four, whose name...
Keeping Religion Out of Politics: An Interview With the National Secular Lobby’s Peter Monk
As the campaign for marriage equality grew stronger, the debate on religious freedoms rose to the fore, as the state agreeing to grant some in the community the same human rights as others, seemed to irk a number of people...
Continuing Detention Orders in New South Wales
An application has been made to extend the prison sentence of a convicted killer and child sex offender beyond the expiry of his full term of imprisonment. 69-year old former babysitter and gardener Michael Anthony Guider was sentenced to two...
