The Latest COVID-19 Rules in New South Wales
15 December 2021 marked the end of vaccination segregation in New South Wales, as both vaccinated and unvaccinated people were put on foot with one another in terms of ‘freedoms’ within the state. For the first time since June 2021,...
Yet Another Supreme Court Challenge Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Has Failed
Days following the lifting of the Sydney lockdown, the NSW Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the case commonly known as Kassam versus Hazzard, which saw plaintiffs challenge aspects of the public health orders issued by NSW health minister...
What is a Criminal Infringement Notice in New South Wales?
Since 2007, police officers in New South Wales have been empowered to exercise discretion not to send those suspected of committing certain criminal offences to court, but instead issue penalty notices – which are on-the-spot fines commonly known as ‘criminal...
Rich Nations Are Withholding Vaccines From the Poorest, Explains AFTINET’s Dr Patricia Ranald
The Delta variant of COVID-19 arrived in Sydney in June. And with the onset of this more virulent strain of the virus, the race was on to vaccinate as many people as possible in order to prevent a widespread outbreak...
Courts Will Bear the Brunt of Challenges to COVID-19 Fines
More than 7,000 people have sought reviews of Covid fines over the past several months, and most have failed, with only one in ten of the reviews lodged with Revenue NSW succeeding. Information obtained under a Freedom of Information request...
Victorian Premier and Health Minister Given Indefinite ‘Pandemic Powers’
Victoria’s controversial Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 has been passed after a marathon sitting in which upper house MPs negotiated a number of amendments. However, the amended laws still give both the Victorian Premier and State Heath...
Brad Hazzard is Not Fit to Lead the Pandemic Response
Another bizarre and unnecessary verbal attack by a politician has occurred the very week the Set the Standard report has been released, highlighting just how far we have to go in stamping out disrespect and misconduct in the workplace. NSW...
Is it Legal for Businesses to Refuse Entry Based on Vaccination Status?
The New South Wales government says that despite yet another variant of the COVID-19 virus, labelled Omicron, finding its way onto Australian shore, the ‘freedoms’ returned to the state’s residents will remain in place and that, from 15 December 2021,...
Calls to Reform Flat-Rate Fining Regimes That Paralyse the Poor
The COVID-19 penalty infringement regime that’s prevailed nationwide since the pandemic onset has brought into stark relief the disparities involved in the practice of imposing flat-rate financial penalties across the entire population regardless of socioeconomic circumstances. Hiking COVID infringement notices...
The Long Warned of Far-Right Threat Has Descended
The rise of the far-right has been of increasing concern across western liberal democracies over recent years. The election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and the spike in the right-wing vote throughout Europe have all indicated a drift towards authoritarianism, which...
