Prohibition is a Recipe for Failure
On 2 June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy declared that the “war on drugs has failed”. The declaration marked a significant shift in public attitude towards the 40-year-old policy launched by US president Richard Nixon that saw the intensification...
Asylum Seeker Rights: An Interview with NZ MP Golriz Ghahraman
The 600 asylum seekers the Australian government is continuing to hold on Manus Island are now staying in transit centres in Lorengau. The facilities aren’t fully complete. There’s insufficient room to accommodate them all. And there’s a lack of water. The...
Pistorius Appeal Leads to a Longer Prison Term
The story captivated the globe - a handsome Paralympic Gold medallist, his glamorous model girlfriend and the mystery surrounding her killing. Now, the South African Court of Appeal has more than doubled Oscar Pistorius’ sentence. Last year, millions watched as...
Criminalising Sex Workers Leaves Them Vulnerable to Attack
At around 12.30 am on June 24, a security guard opened the door to an apartment in Enfield, north London, and a group of five men wielding knives entered the premises. Ms Maria Benito (not her real name) was taken...
Murder by Proxy: The Death of Charles Manson
Charles Manson, one of the most notorious murderers in modern history, passed away of natural causes last Sunday, after spending close to half a century behind bars. But what many don’t realise is that he was never convicted of killing...
There’s a Resounding Silence Over the Paradise Papers Revelations
The largest leak of financial information in history was made globally last week and the reaction has been lacklustre. The 13.4 million files that make up the Paradise Papers uncover the financial dealings of the ultra-rich and major corporations in...
French Court Finds that Sex with Child Wasn’t Rape
In NSW, it is a crime for a person to have sexual intercourse with another who is under the age of 16-years, or 18 if there is a relationship of ‘special care’. Similar ‘age of consent’ laws apply in countries...
Time to Support West Papua: An Interview with Independence Leader Benny Wenda
On September 26, West Papuan leader Benny Wenda presented a petition to the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation (C24) calling for an internationally supervised vote on West Papuan self-determination. The petition was signed by 1.8 million West Papuan people, which...
Moving Away from the War on Drugs: An Interview with Dr Alex Wodak
The war on drugs in not over yet. But there seems to be some glimmering light at the end of the tunnel, with the major drug law reforms that have been taking place globally over recent years. The US once...
The Threat of Nuclear War Looms
As US president Donald Trump landed in Japan last Saturday to begin his tour of five Asian nations, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program was a primary focus. In September, Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test, which led Trump to...
