A Million Uyghur Civilians Arbitrarily Detained: An Interview with the WUC’s Shahrezad Ghayrat
Right now, the Chinese government is carrying out a coordinated and intensified assault upon the Uyghurs: a mainly Muslim Turkic people, who live in a Central Asian region they recognise as East Turkistan, and which under China’s occupation is referred...
Kids Off Nauru: An Interview With World Vision Australia’s Andrew White
The tide is turning over the issue of removing the close to 80 children still being held in offshore detention off Nauru. Indeed, events over recent days reveal that the Morrison government is going to find it increasingly untenable to...
First Nation Economic Independence: An Interview With the Treaty Council’s Alex Wymarra
Australia is the only settler colonial nation not to have entered into treaties with the First Nations of the continent. Indeed, it wasn’t until the 1992 High Court of Australia Mabo decision that the nation actually recognised Indigenous peoples’ prior claim...
Socially Progressive, Economically Sensible: An Interview with Independent, Dr Kerryn Phelps
Dr Kerryn Phelps recently called on prime minister Scott Morrison to release the final report of the Ruddock review on religious freedoms prior to next week’s Wentworth byelection, in which she’s running as an independent. Now that hasn’t happened. But, what...
Australia’s First Cannabis Medicine: An Interview With Little Green Pharma’s Fleta Solomon
Locally-grown and produced medicinal cannabis products are finally available on the Australian market. Western Australian company Little Green Pharma is the first amongst a number of producers to deliver the long-awaited local product since cannabis medicines were legalised. However, this...
Cannabis Legalisation Is Inevitable: An Interview With ADLaRI’s Ben Mostyn
Global drug prohibition had its beginnings over a century ago. And the intensification of its law enforcement aspect – known as the war on drugs – was launched by Nixon in 1971. In NSW, this prohibitive system is reflected in the...
The Cannabis Climate in Australia: An Interview With SA Cannabis Council’s Matthew Rowland
Attitudes to the cannabis plant are rapidly changing around the globe. Recreational cannabis is now legal in nine US states, while Canada is set to legalise it nationwide. And medicinal cannabis is now readily available in 31 jurisdictions throughout the US. The...
Legalising Personal Cannabis Use: An Interview With ACT Labor MP Michael Pettersson
ACT Labor MLA Michael Pettersson introduced a draft of a private member’s bill into the territory’s Legislative Assembly on 19 September that would effectively legalise the personal use and possession of cannabis. The Drugs of Dependence (Personal Cannabis Use) Amendment Bill...
Australia’s First Free Trans Legal Service: An Interview with ICLC’s Hilary Kincaid
Sydney’s Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) launched Australia’s first pro bono transgender and gender diverse legal service on 10 September. The pilot Trans and Gender Diverse Legal Service will be operating once a fortnight in Kings Cross. The ICLC has partnered...
Richmond’s Safe Injecting Room Saves Lives: An Interview With NRCH’s Demos Krouskos
The North Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) opened its doors on 30 June, and it’s already been hailed a success. Over its short time in operation, staff at the facility have treated over 140 people for potentially fatal overdoses. The...
