The Need for a Bill of Rights: An Interview with UNSW Professor George Williams
First published 4 November 2017 On October 17, Australia won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council: the international body responsible for the protection of human rights around the globe. It’s hoped the nation’s new position might improve rights issues...
Are Your Household Appliances Spying on You?
Baby monitors, your fridge, TV and sport shoes could soon be the focus of new laws amid growing concerns of hacking which can lead to the unauthorised use of images, stalking and fraud offences. The federal government is considering legislation...
Weinstein Sacked Before Any Charges Are Laid
As the Harvey Weinstein saga continues to dominate global headlines, more Hollywood actors - both famous and not so famous - continue to come forward claiming they ‘knew’ of the movie mogul’s reputation for sexual misconduct, even if they had...
The US Warns It Will Once Again “Totally Destroy” North Korea
Tensions continue to mount on the North Korean peninsula, as the Trump administration and the regime of Kim Jong-un continue threats to carry out pre-emptive military strikes against each other. On September 25, North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho warned...
Defending the Nauru 19: An Interview with Sydney Lawyer Christian Hearn
Nineteen people from the island of Nauru are facing trial accused of public order offences following a protest against the Nauruan government on June 16 2015. Now known as the Nauru 19, the group were part of hundreds of locals who’d gathered...
Explaining the Rohingya Crisis: An Interview with the ARNO
The UN Refugee Agency reports at least 420,000 Rohingya people have fled across the border from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh since violence erupted in their homelands in late August. The refugees are now living in makeshift camps in the Cox’s...
Finland Is Eradicating Homelessness
Over the course of the year, politicians in Sydney and Melbourne have resorted to criminalising homelessness as a way of dealing with the increasing amount of rough sleepers turning up on city streets. Last month, the Berejiklian government passed a...
The Dutch Turn Empty Prisons Into Homes for Asylum Seekers
Like in NSW, crime rates in the Netherland have been declining for years. But unlike us, the Dutch decline has corresponded with a fall in the prison population, rather than a steep rise resulting from increasingly punitive measures. The Dutch...
Stop Murdering Drug Users: An Interview with Harm Reduction Advocate Pascal Tanguay
At 8pm on Thursday night, Catholic leaders across the Philippines rang their church bells simultaneously for five minutes to honour those who have died during president Rodrigo Duterte’s “reign of terror.” The ritual will take place for the next 40 days and...
Drug Law Reform: An Interview with Former NSW DPP Nicholas Cowdery
On 2 June 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy declared, “The global war on drugs has failed.” In its report, the commission found that prohibition has led to increased drug consumption, the growth of powerful crime networks and contributed...
