They can’t take my home! Man chains himself to machinery to protest compulsory acquisition
A letter arrives in the mail box one day telling its owner that the government is going to “compulsorily acquire” his home. Over 40 homes of his neighbours get the same letter. The government has earmarked the area for demolition...
Bikies Charged Under Controversial Consorting Laws
Detective Superintendent Debbie Wallace has declared that she will be going tough on bikers who repeatedly associate with those who have criminal records, which is an offence known as ‘consorting’. Over the weekend, a total of 13 members of the...
NSW Prisons Soon to Be Smoke Free
Did you know that nearly 80% of NSW prison inmates smoke? In contrast, about 18% of the general population smokes. Smoking is increasingly being squeezed out of more and more public and private places, and prisons are next. Prison inmates...
Biting the Bullet: Should Bulletproof Vests be Legalised?
The spate of recent shootings across New South Wales has re-ignited debate about Australia’s tough weapons restrictions. Some have advocated a more liberal approach to gun laws, going as far to say that if staff in the Lindt café siege...
Human Rights Commission President Recommends Releasing Convicted Killer into the Community
Gillian Triggs is the former Dean of the University of Sydney Law School and current president of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Triggs has created outrage by recommending that John Basikbasik, a refugee from Indonesia who was convicted of manslaughter,...
Police Pursuit Legislation and High Speed Chases
Police pursuits have been a matter of public debate for some years and the issue has recently been reignited after the tragic death of a 17-month-old girl in Sydney’s west when a police chase ended up going through the toddler’s...
Assaults by Police – Are Many Officers Charged?
The police are supposed to be responsible for ensuring the safety and protection of the public, but sometimes the opposite can be true. There have been a number of police charged with assault this year, against members of the public...
Justice Reinvestment: Tackling The Problems Behind Offending
There has been a doubling of inmates in prison over the past 30 years, with Indigenous and young people being amongst the groups most affected by the constant move towards punitive measures. But the prison system has attracted a lot...
Is the Tightening of Bail Laws in NSW making the Magistrate’s Role Redundant?
The flipping and flopping of politicians when it comes to bail laws is enough to make you mad. Just keeping abreast of the likely changes in order to decide whether and, if so, when to make a bail application (now...
Mandatory Indefinite Sentencing – A Good Idea?
How would you feel if you were sent to prison for an indefinite period of time? Such a scenario had been proposed by the Victoria state government before its election defeat over the weekend In a bid for popularity, the...
