COVID-19 Policing: Confusion, Wannabes and Authoritarian Creep
The main NSW COVID-19 public health order was amended on 14 May, so that as of the following day the ban on outdoor gatherings was lifted from more than two to more than ten, and the prohibition on being outside...
Victorian Government Wants COVID-19 Powers to be Permanently Expanded
Under its original strategy to enforce public health laws which were created at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Victorian Government expanded the powers of ‘protective services officers’ (PSOs) on an emergency basis. Now, they want those powers not...
Half of Child Detainees Are First Nations: An Interview With Change the Record’s Sophie Trevitt
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released its Youth Justice in Australia 2018-19 report last week. The document outlines that over the last four financial years, the number of First Nations children being incarcerated or under supervision orders has...
Keep the Rate Raised: An Interview With ACOSS’ Charmaine Crowe
One good thing that came out of the COVID-19 crisis was that the over 700,000 Australians receiving the below-poverty-line Newstart allowance were suddenly lifted out of their hardship overnight. As it became clear the lockdown was inevitable, the Morrison government...
Welcome to Country: Lidia Thorpe on the Mantra Refugees
Right now, governments around the country are in the midst of a staged lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been set in place for the last couple of months. And while many out there in the community are breathing...
Police Commissioner Gets 15% Pay Rise Despite COVID and the Erosion of Public Confidence in the Force
As recently reported, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has received a controversial $87,000, or 15%, pay rise backed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott. Many other MPs have opposed the raise, with...
Occupying the Mantra Rooftop for Refugees: An Interview With WACA’s Sam Castro
Right now, there are over 65 former offshore refugee detainees being held at the Mantra Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Preston. Brought to Australia under the provisions of Medevac, these men with compromised health are now fearing for their...
India Cracks Down Further on Kashmir Under the Cover of COVID-19
Indian soldiers fatally shot a young Kashmiri man on Wednesday, claiming he’d ignored instructions to stop at two checkpoints in the disputed region of Kashmir. However, eyewitnesses state that the man - who was complying with security officials - was...
Post-COVID Restart Tough for Sex Workers: An Interview With SWOP’s Cameron Cox
The intimacy involved in a lot of sex industry services was always going to be problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, now it seems that as the economy begins reopening, there’s confusion mounting around when the industry will be fully...
Australian ‘Church’ Fined for Selling Bleach as a Coronavirus Cure
If you thought Donald Trump spouting the potential health benefits of disinfectant to cure the coronavirus was ridiculous, a church in Australia has just been fined more than $150,000 for selling a concoction called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). In a...
