Protecting Civil and Digital Liberties: An Interview With the Pirate Party’s Sara Joyce
Australia is the only democratic country in the world not to have a national bill of rights. This effectively means that citizens’ human rights and civil liberties aren’t protected under the nation’s laws. The Australian Constitution provides a couple of...
A Right Now Politician: An Interview With the Australian Greens’ Matthew Thompson
In many ways, this coming federal election is an anomaly in its disconnect. According to the ABC’s Vote Compass, the number one issue that concerns Australian voters is the environment, which for the most part means climate change at present....
Why the Greatest Medicinal Plant is Outlawed: An Interview With HEMP’s Dr John Jiggens
As Australian historian Dr John Jiggens puts it, cannabis is the “greatest herbal medicinal plant on the planet”. It can be used to treat more conditions than any other medicine. There’s no risk of overdose. And early last century, it...
PM’s Retrograde Domestic Violence Counselling: An Interview with WDVCAS’ Hayley Foster
Early last month, it came to light that the Morrison government has put aside $10 million to fund Specialised Family Violence Services, which is essentially a program that involves the provision of counselling and dispute resolution for couples dealing with...
End Prohibition. Vote HEMP: An Interview With Dr Andrew Katelaris and Michael Balderstone
As Australian historian Dr John Jiggens recalled in 2010, an article appeared in a major Australian newspaper in 1938, warning about a “Mexican drug” that causes madness. And this report introduced the term “marijuana” to the Australian public. “Under the...
Sail For Justice: An Interview With the Manus Freedom Flotilla’s Izzy Brown
The Manus Freedom Flotilla is about to set sail from the lands of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and take a two and a half month journey to Manus Island with the aim of drawing global attention...
Civil Disobedience Required: An Interview With Extinction Rebellion’s Miriam Robinson
Hundreds of police officers from other forces were called in last week to back up London’s Metropolitan police, as it tried to clear climate change protests from parts of the city that had successfully brought those areas to a standstill....
It’s Time to Regulate Cocaine and MDMA: An Interview with Transform’s Steve Rolles
The debate around legalising recreational cannabis in this country is growing louder. What once seemed to Middle Australia like a far-out idea held by some rural hippies, nowadays, isn’t such a distant concept as the news of successful legalisation in...
On Legalising and Regulating Cocaine: An Interview With Dr Julian Buchanan
The NSW police drug detection dog program has been widely criticised, as it gets it wrong between two-thirds to three-quarters of the time. And the 2006 Ombudsman report pointed out that when searches are successful, most only turn up small...
Protecting the Sacred: An Interview With the Djab Wurrung Embassy’s Zellanach Djab Mara
VicRoads and Major Road Projects Victoria have plans to construct a four lane strip of highway between the towns of Ararat and Buangor in southwestern Victoria, as part of its $672 million Western Highway duplication project. This basically means that...