Increased Criminal Penalties Have Failed to Deter Online Abuse
Thousands of young Australians are exposed to strangers on social media every day. And also every day, a significant number of them deal with some kind of unwanted or unpleasant interactions, or even conduct that can amount to criminal offences...
Teen Sentenced to Imprisonment for Aggravated Dangerous Driving Occasioning Death
The teenage driver who caused the death of five friends when he crashed his ute into a tree while travelling at double the speed limit in Buxton in September 2022, has been sentenced to a full term of 12 years...
Government Apologises to Thalidomide Victims, But COVID Vaccine Injuries Remain Unrecognised
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has this week apologised to Australia’s Thalidomide victims - more than 60 years on from what he called one ‘one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.’ And it’s absolutely right that the government should...
“You Don’t Betray Your Sources”: DBH’s Gerard Mazza on the ABC Handing Footage to Police
Seemingly bowing to political pressure, the ABC changed its mind on its initial decision not to hand over the footage that Four Corners journalists had taken of Disrupt Burrup Hub activists in July this year, as the group were planning...
Sydney’s Veteran Drug Law Reformists Call for Decriminalisation of Drug Possession
Sydney has a well-established and well-oiled drug law reform/harm reduction community made up of a group of experts, many with lived experience, who, despite the unwillingness of politicians to see the light, have long been pointing to its direction at...
What Types of Legal Costs Can Be Ordered in NSW Civil Cases?
In the long running battle to save his reputation, Ben Roberts-Smith has suffered a significant financial blow with a judge ordering him this week to pay the legal costs of several media outlets after his failed defamation suit. The Federal...
“For Palestinian Liberation”: Unionists for Palestine’s Erima Dall on the Police Protest Crackdown
As NSW police set upon the 500 nonviolent demonstrators at Port Botany on 21 November with unbridled force, it became apparent that pro-Palestinian protesters are facing criminal charges in the same manner as climate defenders have been over recent years. The...
McBride’s Crucifixion Highlights the Need for Whistleblower Protections in Australia
David McBride, a former Australian soldier and military lawyer, had little choice but to plead guilty to criminal charges including theft of property from a Commonwealth entity and unlawfully giving away defence information after his planned public interest defence - that he...
Stranded: Australia Cuts Lifeline to Remaining PNG Offshore Detainees
Of the 4,194 people who arrived by boat in Australian waters seeking asylum after the Gillard Labor government recommenced offshore processing in 2012 on the pretext that refugees would be resettled in third countries, there remains 60-odd detainees seeking asylum in Papua...
Getting Arrested at the Nation’s Largest Civil Disobedience Action for Climate
Getting arrested used to be something that the general public considered a mark of disgrace. But that’s changed now that the people understand that government ministers aren’t making decisions that consider the viability of a future for generations to come...
